HK 


'HISTORIC    DRESS 
IN    AMERICA. 


1607-1800 

With  an  Introductory  Chapter  on  Dress  in  the  Spanish  and 
French  Settlements  in  Florida  and  Louisiana 

BY  • 

ELISABETH   McCLELLAN 

TRANSLATOR  OF  "SCHILLER  AND  HIS  TIMES,'     ETC. 

illustrations  in  colour,  pen  and  ink,  and  half-tone  by 
SOPHIE  B.  STEEL 

OF  THE   PENNSYLVANIA  MUSEUM   AND  SCHOOL  OF   INDUSTRIAL   ART 


TOGETHER  WITH  REPRODUCTIONS  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS  OF  RARE  PORTRAITS, 

ORIGINAL  GARMENTS,  ETC. 


PHILADELPHIA 

GEORGE   W.  JACOBS  &  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


G-T 

Co? 

HI 


Copyright,    1904,  by 

GEORGE  W.  JACOBS  &  COMPANY 

Published  November,   1904 


/ 


GT^o-] 


FlClKK   I 


1 


"Fashion  wears  out  more  apparel  than  the  man,"  and  happily 
for  us  some  relics  of  by-gone  days  have  been  preserved  intact  and 
placed  in  our  hands  for  the  preparation  of  this  book — veritable 
documents  of  history  on  the  subject  of  Dress  in  America,  which 
should  teach  you  "the  nice  fashion  of  your  country,"  and  help  you 
"to  construe  things  after  their  fashion." 

For  these  interesting  old  garments  and  also  for  the  valuable 
portraits  and  family  papers  most  generously  entrusted  to  us  for  our 
work  I  take  this  opportunity  to  express,  in  behalf  of  Miss  Steel  and 
myself,  our  appreciation  and  sincere  thanks. 

Elisabeth  McClellan. 

Philadelphia,  October,  1904. 


T 


V 


Contents 


INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTER 

The  Spaniards  in  Florida  and  California,  i565-i764....:'.r:'. :.M.'.,.  **^| 
The. French  Settlements  in  Louisiana  and  the  MississiPi>i  FA;L^te;-y;\>  ,-  ; 

1680-1764  i.'.ii: :::[:. . '; ' ;.'' "32 

PART  I.     THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY 

The  English  Colonies  in  Virginia,  Maryland,  the  Barbadoes,  and 

the   CaROLINAS,   1607-1700 on 

The  English  Colonies  in  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New  Hamp- 
shire, Maine,  and  Rhode  Island,  1620-1700 79 

The  Dutch  and  English  in  New  York,  Long  Island,  the  Jerseys, 

Delaware,  and  Pennsylvania,  1621-1700 117 

PART  II.     THE  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY 

Women's  Dress,  1700-1800 173 

Reign  of  Queen  Anne i8i 

Reign  of  George  1 190 

Reign  of  George  II 193 

Reign  of  George  III 202 

After  the  Revolution 255 

Children's  Garments,  1700-1800 279 

Men's  Apparel,  1700-1800 295 

Reigns  of  Queen  Anne  and  George  I 299 

,    Reign  of  George  II 307 

Reign  of  George  III 316 

After  the  Revolution 328 

Legal  Dress  in  the  Eighteenth  Century 335 

Uniforms  in  America,  1775-1800 340 


GLOSSARY 381 

INDEX 397 

AUTHORITIES  CONSULTED 405 

7 


Illustrations 


FIGtJRE  PAGE 

1.  (In  colours)  Gown  of  red  brocade  worn  in  the  Barbadoes  Colony  about 

1685.     Lent  by  Mrs.  Rachel  St.  Clair  Miller Frontispiece. 

2.  (Initial)  Spanish  galleon 25 

3.  Spanish  gentleman,  end  of  sixteenth  century 26 

4.  Spanish  soldiers  with  rapiers  and  arquebuses,  middle  of  sixteenth  century  27 

5.  Fernando  De  Soto,  in  Spanish  armour  of  the  sixteenth  century 29 

6.  Sieur  de  La  Salle,  in  French  costume  of  1680 29 

7.  Pedro  Menendez  de  Aviles,  in  Spanish  dress,  1565 29 

8.  Sir  Francis  Drake,  in  the  dress  of  an  English  sea-captain,  1586 29 

9.  French  peasant  women 34 

10.  Jesuit  missionaries 35 

11.  (Initial)  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 43 

12.  Captain  John  Smith,  1616 44 

13.  Sir  Edwyn  Sandys,  1607 45 

14.  George  Sandys,  Secretary  of  the  Virginia  Colony,  reign  of  Charles  1 45 

15.  Sir  Isaac  Pennington,  reign  of  Charles  1 45 

i6.  Sir  John  Pennington,  reign  of  Charles  1 45 

17.  A  farthingale,  1607 47 

18.  Ordinary  dress  of  a  boy,  1602-1676 47 

19.  Dress  of  a  colonial  governor,  reign  of  Charles  1 49 

20.  Dress  of  a  colonial  lady,  reign  of  Charles  1 49 

21.  Costume  of  a  planter's  wife,  reign  of  James  1 49 

22.  Costume  of  a  gentleman  planter,  reign  of  James  1 49 

23.  Ordinary  dress  of  a  little  girl,  1602-1676 52 

24.  EngUsh  mariner,  1650  and  after 53 

25.  Countryman  in  doublet,  1660  and  after 54 

26.  Soldier  in  cuirass  and  morion,  seventeenth  century 55 

27.  Silver  frontlet  worn  by  the  Queen  of  the  Pamunkeys 57 

28.  Silver  mace,  used  in  the  House  of  Burgesses,  Virginia 57 

29.  Sir  George  Percy,  second  governor  of  Virginia 57 

30.  Steel  vambrace  dug  up  near  Jamestown 57 

31.  Doublet  worn  in  the  reign  of  James  1 59 

32.  Indoor  dress  of  an  English  gentlewoman,  reign  of  Charles  1 65 

9 


lo  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIGURE  PAGE 

33.  Outdoor  summer  costume  of  an  English  lady,  reign  of  Charles  1 65 

34.  Back  view  of  outdoor  dress,  reign  of  Charles  1 68 

35.  English  lady  in  hood  and  apron,  reign  of  Charles  1 69 

36.  English  gentlewoman  in  winter  dress,  furs  and  mask,  reign  of  Charles  I..  69 

37.  A  peddler,  from  an  old  print 73 

37J.  Monmouth  cap 74 

38.  (In  colours)  Lady  of  quality  in  the  fashionable  dress  of  William  and  Mary's 

reign 75 

39.  (In  colours)  Typical  dress  of  a  child  in  the  seventeenth  century 75 

40.  (In  colours)  Outdoor  dress  of  a  tradeswoman,  end  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 

tury    75 

41.  (In  colours)  Workingman,  end  of  seventeenth  century 75 

42.  (In  colours)  A  gentleman  in  the  reign  of  Wilham  and  Mary 75 

43.  (Initial)  A  Puritan  dame .^ 83 

44.  Mandillion  of  black  silk,  1620  and  after 85 

45.  Photograph  of  a  doublet,  reign  of  Charles  I 87 

46.  Photograph  of  a  doublet,  reign  of  James  1 87 

47.  Typical  winter  costume  of  a  lady,  1640 90 

48.  Boy's  doublet  of  white  linen  embroidered  with  gold  silk,  reign  of  Charles  I  91 

49.  Bodice  of  white  satin,  reign  of  Charles  I 91 

5o»  51,  52,  53»  54-  Boots,  1595-1660 94 

5S»  56,  57-  Boots,  1660-1690 95 

58,  59,  60,  61,  62,  63,  64,  65.  Shoes,  1610-1695 96 

66.  Puritan  colonist  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Company 97 

67.  Puritan  woman  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Company 97 

68.  An  English  gentleman  of  about  1666 97 

69.  A  lady  of  the  same  date  (1666)  in  walking  hood  and  fur  tippet 97 

70.  71.  Cannons  or  breeches  fastenings,  1650 99 

72.  Lady's  glove  with  embroidered  cuff,  seventeenth  century loi 

73.  Head,  after  Hollar,  showing  fashionable  style  of  hair-dressing,  reigns  of 

Charles  I  and  II loi 

74)  75)  76,  77.  Gloves  worn  in  the  seventeenth  century loi 

78.  Man  in  buff  coat  and  bandolier,  1620-1660 103 

79,  80.  Points  with  aiglets,  1650-1660 104 

81.  Samuel  Sewell,  Governor  and  Judge  of  Massachusetts  Colony 105 

82.  Sir  John  Leverett,  Governor  of  Massachusetts 105 

83.  84,  85,  86,  87.  Various  forms  of  the  buff  coat 107 

88,  89,  90.  Gorgets,  1620-1645 108 

91.  John  Winthrop  the  second,  1640 in 

92.  Sir  John  Leverett,  about  1680 in 

93.  John  Winthrop,  Governor  of  Massachusetts  Colony  in  1629 m 

94.  James  Winslow,  Governor  of  Plymouth  Colony,  1644 in 


ILLUSTRATIONS  n 


FIGURE  PAGE 

95.  (Initial)  Dutch  colonist  in  New  Amsterdam 121 

96.  Peter  Stuyvesant,  Governor  of  New  York  Colony,  1647 123 

97.  Sir  Edmond  Andros,  Colonial  Governor  of  New  York,  1674-1681 123 

98.  Henry  Hudson,  1609 123 

99.  Sir  William  Keith,  Governor  of  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania,  17 17  ...  123 

100.  Dutch  woman  in  working  dress,  seventeenth  century 126 

loi.  (In  colours)  Dutch  lady  of  New  Amsterdam,  about  1640 127 

102.  (In  colours)  Patroon,  about  1640 127 

103.  (In  colours)  Dutch  lady,  about  1660 127 

104.  (In  colours)  English  gentleman,  end  of  reign  of  Charles  II 127 

105.  Dutchman  in  working  dress,  about  1650 129 

106.  Dutch  girl  in  fur  cap  and  fur-trimmed  jacket,  1641 131 

107.  Dutch  lady,  hair  arranged  in  puffs  at  the  side,  1645 131 

108.  Little  Dutch  girl,  middle  of  seventeenth  century 131 

109.  Little  Dutch  boy,  same  period 131 

1 10.  Dutch  lady  in  fur  cap  and  mantle,  1644 13 1 

111.  Swedish  lady  in  pointed  fur  cap  and  ruff,  1640 131 

112.  113,  114,  115,  116,  117,  118,  119,  120.  Hats,  1606-1692 135 

121.  Coif  of  a  Dutch  matron,  late  seventeenth  century 136 

122.  Dress  of  an  English  gentlewoman,  1640 137 

123.  Swedish  woman  in  clogs,  1640 137 

124.  Dutch  lady  in  outdoor  dress,  1640 137 

125.  EngUsh  lady  in  house  dress,  1640 137 

126.  Dutch  lady  in  wide-brimmed  hat  and  ruff,  1645 141 

127.  EngUsh  lawyer,  seventeenth  century 141 

128.  EngUsh  woman  in  silk  hood  and  tippet,  1640 141 

129.  Dutch  lady  in  fur  tippet  and  hood,  middle  of  seventeenth  century 141 

130.  Boy  in  periwig,  about  1680 141 

131.  English  woman  in  coif  and  kerchief,  1640 141 

132.  Portrait  of  Uttle  girls  in  seventeenth  century,  reign  of  Charles  I 145 

133.  Portrait  of  two  Dutch  boys,  middle  of  seventeenth  century 145 

134.  Periwig  of  Charles  II,  1660 147 

135.  Periwig  of  William  III,  1690 147 

136.  Campaign  wig,  1684 147 

137.  Coat  and  full  breeches  of  buff  brocade,  1681 149 

138.  Coat  and  full  breeches  of  dark  red  flowered  silk,  1681 149 

139.  Coat  and  breeches  of  silk  trimmed  with  fancy  braid,  reign  of  James  II. . .  149 

140.  Jeremias  Van  Rensselaer,  end  of  seventeenth  century 153 

141.  KiUaen  Van  Rensselaer,  first  patroon  of  New  Amsterdam,  1695 153 

142.  Sergeant-at-law,  reign  of  Charles  II 156 

143-  Quaker  gentleman,  1682 157 

144.  Quaker  lady,  1682 : 157 


12  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIGURE  PAGE 

145.  Huguenot  lady,  1686 157 

146.  Huguenot  gentleman,  1686 157 

147.  Sergeant-at-law,  reign  of  James  II 159 

148.  Count  Zinzendorf  in  preacher's  robe 161 

149.  Samuel  Bradstreet  in  judge's  robe,  about  1670 161 

150.  Lady  Fenwick,  in  widow's  mourning,  reign  of  William  and  Mary 161 

151.  Elisabeth  Boehler,  Moravian  lady  in  Pennsylvania,  1787 161 

152.  Moravian  coif 164 

153.  Reticule  of  white  silk  embroidered  in  crepe  flowers 165 

154.  Waistcoat  of  Count  Lemcke,  about  1798 165 

155.  156.  White  silk  pocket  cases  embroidered  in  colours,  about  1790 165 

157,  158.  Moravian  cap  of  lawn  worn  over  a  coif 167 

1 59.  Specimens  of  colonial  silver,  seventeenth  century 169 

160.  Specimens  of  pewter  ware,  carved  knife  boards,  etc.,  seventeenth  century  169 

161.  (Initial)  Lady  in  sacque,  early  eighteenth  century 177 

162.  (In  colours)  Colonial  costume  of  17 11,  of  buff  chine  silk,  from  an  original 

gown  lent  by  Mrs.  Rachel  St.  Clair  Miller 179 

163.  (In  colours)  Gentleman  in  costume  of  1702-1720,  reign  of  Queen  Anne. .  179 

164.  (In  colours)  Colonial  costume  of  reign  of  George  I,  from  an  original  gown 

lent  by  Mrs.  Samuel  Chew 179 

165.  (In  colours)  Man  in  dress  of  a  gentleman  in  the  reign  of  George  1 179 

166.  167.  Colonial  fashion  baby,  1720 183 

168,  169.  Camlet  hood,  taken  from  an  original  garment  of  about  1702 185 

170.  Short  sacque,  early  eighteenth  century 187 

171.  Colonial  dress,  worn  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  reign  of  George  1 191 

172.  White  satin  wedding  gown,  1760 191 

173.  Lutestring  gown  worn  in  Philadelphia  in  1760 191 

174.  Colonial  dress  of  buff  chine  silk  worn  in  the  Barbadoes  Colony  in  reign 

of  Queen  Anne 191 

175.  Lady  in  a  cardinal,  early  eighteenth  century 194 

176.  177,  178,  179,  180,  181.  Caps,  1744-1745 195 

182.  Man  in  a  Roquelaure,  reign  of  Queen  Anne 197 

183.  Back  view  of  a  yellow  damask  gown,  reign  of  George  I 197 

184.  Green  brocade  gown,  worn  in  Massachusetts  Colony,  reign  of  George  I . .  197 

185.  Back  view  of  gentleman's  dress,  reign  of  George  1 197 

186.  187,  Hooped  petticoats,  1721-1750 199 

188.  Pair  of  stays,  about  1770.     Lent  by  Miss  Sarah  Bache  Hodge 200 

189.  Clog,  eighteenth  century 201 

190.  Patten,  eighteenth  century 201 

191.  Riding  hat  of  fawn-coloured  felt,  reigns  of  George  II  and  III 202 

192.  Colonial  gown  of  kincob  brocade,  worn  in  Massachusetts  about  1735. 

Lent  by  Miss  Archie  Newlin 203 


ILLUSTRATIONS  13 

FIGURE  PAGE 

193.  Colonial  gown  worn  in  Virginia,  about  1775 203 

194.  Riding  mask,  eighteenth  century 205 

195.  (In  colours)  Colonial  gown  of  camlet,  worn  in  the  Massachusetts  Colony, 

1725.     Lent  by  Mrs.  Charles  Hacker 207 

196.  (In  colours)  Gown  of  kincob  brocade,  time  of  George  II 207 

197.  (In  colours)  Young  gallant  in  full  dress,  1740 207 

198.  (In  colours)  Colonial  gown  of  green  taffeta,  worn  by  Mrs.  Wilimina 

Weemys  Moore,  about  1740.     Lent  by  Miss  Sarah  Brinton 207 

199.  House-maid  in  sacque,  apron  and  clogs,  middle  of  eighteenth  century 209 

200.  Mrs.  Catharine  Van  Rensselaer  in  the  popular  style  of  cap,  about  1770. .  211 

201.  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Appleton  in  an  every-day  dress.     From  photograph  lent 

by  Mrs.  Cutter 211 

202.  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Appleton,  Jr.,  showing  a  peculiar  cap  of  1784.     From 

photograph  lent  by  Mrs.  Cutter 211 

203.  Mrs.  Mary  Faneuil  of  Boston,  about  1750 211 

204.  A  Watteau  gown  of  fawn-coloured  silk  brocaded  with  coloured  flowers 

worn  in  Pennsylvania  about   1752.     Lent  by  Mrs.   WiUiam  Bacon 
Stevens 215 

205.  Crimson  brocade  gown  worn  by  Mrs.  Faithful  Hubbard  of  the  Massa- 

chusetts Colony,  1750.     From  a  photograph  lent  by  Mrs.  Cutter 215 

206.  Another  view  of  the  green  kincob  gown  over  a  white  satin  skirt  with 

apron  and  stomacher  of  white  silk  embroidered  in  colours 215 

207.  Back  view  of  the  kincob  gown  showing  the  Watteau  plaits 215 

208.  Lady's  silk  shoe,  about  1775 217 

209.  210,  211.  Diagram  of  white  satin  gown  worn  by  Mrs.  St.  Clair  about 

1760    218 

212.  (In  colours)  Wedding  gown  of  a  New  England  Quaker  lady,  about  1750. 

Lent  by  Mrs.  Charles  Hacker 219 

213.  (In  colours)  Gown  of  rich  brocade  worn  by  Mrs.  Michael  Gratz  about 

1750.     Lent  by  Miss  Miriam  Mordecai 219 

214.  (In  colours)  Suit  of  uncut  velvet  worn  by  Robert  Livingston  of  Clermont, 

reign  of  George  II.     Lent  by  Mrs.  David  E.  Dallam 219 

215.  (In  colours)  Back  view  of  Watteau  gown  of  fawn-coloured  silk.'?i^gj*j=^^^^2^ 

216.  Beaver  hat  and  short  cloak,  middle  of  eighteenth  century I  221 

217.  Back  view  of  suit  of  uncut  velvet  worn  by  Robert  Livingston  of  Clermont. 

Lent  by  Miss  Anna  Griffith 223 

218.  Back  view  of  white  satin  wedding  gown  of  Mrs.  St.  Clair 223 

219.  Everyday  costume  of  a  young  lady,  flowered  chintz  over  a  quilted  petti- 

coat, about  1770 223 

220.  Elderly  man  of  business  in  a  coat  of  strong  fustian  over  nankeen  breeches, 

1 7 70-1 790.     From  a  coat  lent  by  Miss  Sallie  Johnson 223 

221.  Group  of  colonial  garments,  eighteenth  century 227 


14  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIGURE  PAGE 

222.  Calashes,    Quaker  hats,    Quaker  bonnet,  riding  hat,  etc.,   eighteenth 

century 227 

223.  Lady  in  capuchin,  with  fur  trimmings  and  muff,  reign  of  George  III 229 

224.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ralph  Izard,  1780 231 

225.  Portrait  of  the  West  family,  1799 231 

226.  227.  Calashes,  1765 ■ 233 

228.  (In  colours)  Dress  of  blue  lutestring  worn  by  Mrs.  St.  Clair,  1760.     Lent 

by  Mrs.  Rachel  St.  Clair  Miller 235 

229.  (In  colours)  Suit  of  dark  satin  worn  by  Robert  Livingston  of  Clermont. 

Lent  by  Miss  Anna  Griffith 235 

230.  (In  colours)  White  satin  wedding  gown  of  Mrs.  St.  Clair,  1760.     Lent  by 

Mrs.  Rachel  St.  Clair  Miller 235 

231.  (In  colours)  Suit  of  uncut  velvet,  waistcoat  of  quilted  satin,  worn  by 

Robert  Livingston,  of  Clermont,  reign  of  George  III.     Lent  by  Miss 

Anna  Griffith 235 

232.  Quaker  cape  and  cap,  1780 237 

233.  Embroidered  reticule 239 

234.  Ladies  gloves  of  doeskin,  17 17.     Lent  by  Mrs.  William  H.  Dreer 239 

235.  Bead  reticule  and  paste  buckles.     Lent  by  Mrs.  John  Biddle 239 

236.  Bonnet  of  muslin  made  over  reeds,  1780.     Lent  by  Mrs.  John  Biddle...  239 

237.  Crepe  shawl  with  printed  figures,  late  eighteenth  century 239 

238.  Linen  pocket  embroidered  in  colours,  1752 239 

239.  Colonial  jewelry  and  snuff-box.     Lent  by  Mrs.  Howard  Gardiner 239 

240.  Lady's  slipper  of  green  and  white  taffeta.     Lent  by  Mrs.  WiUiam  H. 

Dreer 239 

241.  Fan  painted  by  Gamble,  1771.     Lent  by  Mrs.  Charles  Hodge 239 

242.  Typical  dress  of  a  country  girl,  1780 246 

243.  Night-rail,  eighteenth  century 252 

244.  Gown  of  mauve  crepe,  end  of  eighteenth  century.     Lent  by  Miss  Janethe  253 

245.  Front  view  of  Watteau  gown  of  fawn-coloured  silk,  brocaded  in  flowers. .  253 

246.  Gown  of  white  embroidered  mushn  worn  in  1790.     Lent  by  Mrs.  George 

Knorr 253 

247.  CaUco  short  sacque,  late  eighteenth  century 253 

248.  Gown  of  glazed  buff  chintz,  1795.     Lent  by  Mrs.  Cooper  Smith 253 

249.  Riding  habit,  about  1785 260 

250.  Mrs.  Pennington  in  Quaker  dress,  1780.     From  a  portrait  lent  by  Mrs. 

Howard  Gardiner 261 

251.  Catharine  Schuyler  Van  Rensselaer,  1795.     Lent  by  Mrs.  J.  K.  Van 

Rensselaer   261 

252.  Mrs.  Hill  in  Quaker  dress,  1785 261 

253.  Dutch  lady  of  the  New  York  Colony,  1765.     Lent  by  Mrs.  J.  K.  Van 

Rensselaer  261 


ILLUSTRATIONS  15 


FIGURE  PAGE 

254.  Summer  costume,  1790-1795 264 

255.  (In  colours)  Suit  worn  at  the  court  of  France  by  William  West,  Esq.,  of 

Philadelphia,  1778.     Lent  by  Francis  Hemsley,  Esq 265 

256.  (In  colours)  Lady's  costume  of  the  prevailing  French  fashion,  1777-1779  265 

257.  (In  colours)  Gentleman's  suit  of  drab  cloth,  1786 265 

258.  (In  colours)  Muslin  gown  with  flowing  skirt  and  long  sleeved  bodice, 

1790    265 

259.  Woman  in  typical  working  dress,  1790-1800 268 

260.  White  satin  wedding  slippers,  1800.     Lent  by  Mrs.  Schaeffer 269 

261.  Cups  and  saucers,  owned  by  Robert  Treat  Paine.     Lent  by  Mrs.  William 

H.  Dreer 269 

262.  Group  of  slippers,  1735-1780 269 

263.  Blue  brocade  wedding  slippers,  1771.     Lent  by  Miss  Helen  Morton 269 

264.  Wine  glasses  and  point  lace  belonging  to  Governor  Wentworth,  1717- 

1730.     Lent  by  Mrs.  William  H.  Dreer 269 

265.  Back  of  mauve  crepe  shown  in  figure  341 273 

266.  Silk  pehsse  with  quilted  border,  1797.     Lent  by  Frank  W.  Taylor,  Esq.  274 

267.  268.  Seventeenth  century  utensils 275 

269.  (Initial)  Boy  and  girl  after  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  late  eighteenth  century  283 

270.  (In  colours)  Girl  in  red  stuff  gown  and  mushn  cap,  about  1730 285 

271.  (In  colours)  Child  in  printed  gown  and  embroidered  cap,  about  17 10 285 

272.  (In  colours)  Child  in  gown  of  white  damask  linen,  about  1720 285 

273.  (In  colours)  Little  boy  in  blue  suit,  about  1740 285 

274.  (In  colours)  Boy  in  brown  velvet  suit  and  cocked  hat,  about  1760 285 

275.  (In  colours)  Boy  in  blue  ribbed  silk  suit  worn  in  Pennsylvania  about 

1756 285 

276.  (In  colours)  Child  in  buff  printed  cambric  dress,  about  1760 285 

277.  (In  colours)  Child  in  sheer  muslin  gown,  with  cap  to  match,  1790 285 

278.  (In  colours)  Little  girl  in  cloak,  muff  and  hat,  after  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds, 

about  1780 285 

279.  (In  colours)  Young  girl  in  muslin  gown  trimmed  with  embroidery,  about 

1790    285 

280,281.  Child's  stays.     Lent  by  Mrs.  Gummere 287 

282.  Portrait  of  young  girl  in  Philadelphia,  about  1760 289 

283.  Miss  Hill  of  Philadelphia,  1756 289 

284.  Portrait  of  a  child  in  New  York,  about  1700.     Lent  by  Mrs.  J.  K.  Van 

Rensselaer  289 

285.  Christiana  Ten  Broeck,  early  eighteenth  century 289 

286.  Baby  dress  and  cap,  177 1.     Lent  by  Mrs.  George  Knorr 291 

287.  Boy  in  ordinary  dress,  1790 292 

288.  289.  Front  and  back  views  of  a  "flying  Josie,"  late  eighteenth  century. 

Lent  by  Mrs.  Schaeffer 293 


i6  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIGURE  PAGE 

290.  Suit  of  blue  silk  worn  by  a  little  boy  about  1756 293 

291.  Child's  dress  of  buff  chintz  worn  in  Pennsylvania,  1710 293 

292.  White  shift  with  plaited  sleeves 293 

293.  Child's  dress  of  damask  linen  worn  about  1720 293 

294.  (Initial)  Man  in  long  trousers  and  riding  boots,  late  eighteenth  century..  299 

295.  Kiliaen  Van  Rensselaer,  reign  of  James  II.     Lent  by  Mrs.  J.  K.  Van 

Rensselaer   301 

296.  Jan  Baptist  Van  Rensselaer,  reign  of  George  I.     Lent  by  Mrs.  J.  K. 

Van  Rensselaer 301 

297.  A  genuine  Roquelaure,  middle  of  eighteenth  century.     Lent  by  Frank 

W.  Taylor,  Esq 303 

298.  299,  300.  Wigs,  1700-1750 304 

301.  William  Penn,  by  Benjamin  West 305 

302.  George  Washington,  by  Gilbert  Stewart,  1797 305 

303.  Back  view  of  suit  of  dark  satin  worn  by  Robert  Livingston 308 

304.  Rev.  George  Whitefield,  latter  half  of  eighteenth  century 309 

305.  Rev.  Jacob  Duche,  D.D.,  late  eighteenth  century 309 

306.  Dr.  Ezra  Stiles,  late  eighteenth  century 309 

307.  Rt.  Rev.  Richard  Challoner,  Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  English  Colonies  in 

America,  1756 309 

308.  Jonathan  Edwards,  second  half  of  eighteenth  century 309 

309.  Rt.  Rev.  Samuel  Provoost,  D.D.,  First  Bishop  of  New  York,  late  eight- 

eenth century 309 

310.  Back  view  of  coat  of  light  brown  velvet,  reign  of  George  II 313 

311.  Front  view  of  same 313 

312,313.  Front  and  back  views  of  coat  of  brown  twilled  cotton  jean,  typical 

summer  garment  of  a  Friend 313 

314.  Gentleman  in  banyan  and  cap,  middle  of  eighteenth  century 315 

315.  John  Penn,  in  fur-trimmed  coat 317 

316.  Thomas  Penn  as  colonial  governor 317 

317.  Patrick  Gordon  as  colonial  governor 317 

318.  James  Hamilton,  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  1783 317 

319.  320,  321,  322.  Boots,  1702-1784 319 

323.  James  Logan  in  judicial  robe,  1745 321 

324.  Fisher  Ames,  middle  of  eighteenth  century 321 

325.  John  Jay  in  robe,  as  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States 321 

326.  Nathaniel  Appleton  of  Boston,  by  Copley 321 

327.  Henry  Laurens,  by  Copley 321 

328.  Man  in  working  garb,  1750 323 

329.  John  Hancock,  Governor  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony,  reign  of  George 

III 325 

330.  Samuel  Shoemaker,  Mayor  of  Philadelphia,  and  his  son,  1789 325 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


17 


FIGURE  PAGE 

331.  Portrait  showing  the  plain  but  handsome  costume  of  a  gentleman  in 

Pennsylvania  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution 325 

332.  Portrait  of  a  Quaker  gentleman,  1774 325 

333.  Sporting  dress,  about  1733 327 

334.  Suit  of  velvet  vi^ith  raised  figures,  vt'orn  by  Robert  Livingston  about 

1770.     Lent  by  Miss  Anna  Griffith 329 

335.  Pistols  with  silver  mounting,  about  1765.     Lent  by  Mrs.  John  Biddle..  329 

336.  Cap  worn  by  Governor  Taylor  of  New  York,  1730 329 

337.  Silk  waistcoat,  1780.     Lent  by  Mrs.  Krumbhaar 329 

338.  Double-breasted  waistcoat  of  figured  silk,  about  1790 329 

339.  Working  man,  last  half  of  eighteenth  century 331 

340.  (In  colours)  Brown  broadcloth  suit  worn  by  Mr.  Johnson  of  German- 

town,  1790.     Lent  by  Miss  SalUe  Johnson 333 

341.  (In  colours)  Mauve  crepe  gown  worn  by  Mrs.  Sartori  of  San  Domingo. 

Lent  by  Miss  Janethe 333 

342.  (In  colours)  Dress  of  fine  glazed  buff  cambric  owned  by  Madame  Cheva- 

leir,  end  of  eighteenth  century.     Lent  by  Mrs.  Cooper  Smith 333 

343.  (In   colours)    Man  in  short- waisted,   high- collared   coat  and   nankeen 

breeches,  end  of  eighteenth  century.     Lent  by  Frank  W.  Taylor,  Esq.    333 

344.  (In    colours)  Muslin  dress  trimmed  with  tambour  embroidery  worn  in 

Philadelphia,  1797 333 

345.  Doctor  of  Civil  Law,  end  of  eighteenth  century 336 

346.  Summer  coat  of  dark  blue  silk  with  nankeen  breeches,  late  eighteenth 

century 337 

347.  Back  view  of  brown  broadcloth  coat  worn  by  Mr.  Johnson  about  1790. 

Lent  by  Miss  Sallie  Johnson 337 

348.  Front  view  of  same  over  nankeen  waistcoat 337 

349.  Coat  of  brown  twilled  cotton,  over  white  silk  embroidered  waistcoat 

and  brown  satin  knee  breeches,   worn  in  Philadelphia  about  1790. 
Lent  by  Mrs.  John  Biddle 337 

350.  Judge  in  scarlet  robe,  end  of  eighteenth  century 339 

351.  Dress  of  ordinary  seaman,  1775 341 

352.  Portrait  of  Washington,  drawn  from  Hfe  by  Du  Simitifere 343 

353.  Henry  Laurens,  drawn  from  life  by  Du  Simitifere 343 

354.  W.  H.  Drayton,  Esq.,  drawn  from  life  by  Du  Simitiere 343 

355.  Gouverneur  Morris,  drawn  from  life  by  Du  Simitiere 343 

356.  Silhouette  of  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke 347 

357.  Silhouette  of  Washington,  showing  fine  net  over  hair  and  queue 347 

358.  Silhouette  of  Bishop  White,  showing  knickerbockers 347 

359.  Silhouette  of  Alexander  Hamilton 347 

360.  Silhouette  of  James  McClellan,  of  Connecticut 347 

361.  Uniform  of  Light  Horse  Troop  of  Philadelphia,  1775 349 

2 


i8  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIGURE  PAGE 

362.  Commodore  Barry  of  the  United  States  Navy 351 

363.  Paul  Jones  of  the  United  States  Navy 351 

364.  Camp  at  Valley  Forge,  showing  military  cloak  and  great  coat 351 

365.  General  Warren  in  dress  of  a  minute-man 355 

366.  General  Daniel  Morgan  in  buckskin  coat  of  the  Virginia  Rangers 355 

367.  Comte  De  Rochambeau  in  dress  of  a  French  officer,  1791 355 

368.  Uniform  recommended  by  Washington  in  the  early  part  of  the  Revolu- 

tion   359 

369.  A  minute-man 359 

370.  Dress  of  First  Company,  Governor's  Foot  Guard,  Connecticut 359 

371.  Dress  of  First  Pennsylvania  Infantry 359 

372.  Dress  of  Second  Pennsylvania  Infantry 359 

373.  Uniform  directed  by  Minister  of  War,  1785 359 

374.  Uniform  of  the  Light  Infantry,  1782 359 

375.  Front  view  of  uniform  recommended  by  Minister  of  War,  1785 359 

376.  Major  General  Pinckney  in  uniform 363 

377.  Major  General  St.  Clair  in  uniform 363 

378.  General  O.  H.  WiUiams  in  uniform 363 

379.  General  Andrew  Pickens  in  uniform 363 

380.  General  Montgomery  in  uniform 367 

381.  General  Francis  Marion  in  uniform 367 

382.  General  Israel  Putnam  in  uniform  of  a  Continental  trooper 367 

383.  General  Philemon  Dickinson  in  uniform 367 

384.  General  John  Sullivan  in  uniform 367 

385.  Uniform  of  an  American  officer,  1796 376 


INTRODUCTORY     CHAPTER 


ON     DRESS    IN    THE 


.  Spanish  and  French  Settlements 


UNDER 


PHILIP   II   AND   LOUIS  XIV 


DATES   OF  THE    SPANISH,   FRENCH,   SWEDISH,  AND 
GERMAN  SETTLEMENTS 

Florida 1565 Spanish^ 

Acadia 1605 French 

Quebec 1608 French 

Louisiana 1680 French 

Texas  (afterwards  a  part  of  the  Spanish 

Province  of  Mexico) 1692 ^Spanish^cf 

Mississippi  Valley 1699 French 

California 1769 SpanislkV 

Banks  of  the  Delaware 1637 Swedish 

Pennsylvania 1. 1683 German 


DATES   OF  THE  ENGLISH  AND  DUTCH 

COLONIES  , 

\   Virginia 1607 English  ^^■""^ 

1-Massachusetts   1620 English  i — 

1)  (  New  Amsterdam   1621 Dutch    V 

rNew  York 1664 English  S^^"^ 

k^New  Hampshire 1623C Englislf  •— ~- 

iTBarbadoes t 1625 English   . 

<;^  Maryland J 1633 EnglishJ*" 

Connecticut . . .  j 1635 English  '--^ 

Rhode  Island  A 1636 English  •--— 

The  Carolines. '. i'655, English  ^ — 

)  °^ew  Jersey 1664, English  <-— 

^  •     Pennsylvania 1682 - Enghsh  ^-^ 

,»-     Delaware^. 1682, English,  i — * 

Georgia 1732 English  <^^  \ 


RULERS   OF  THE   SETTLEMENTS  AND  COLONIES 

IN  AMERICA 

Spanish.    Philip  II r 1556-1598 

Philip  III 1598-1621 1.. 

Philip  IV 1621-16653^ 

Charles   II 1665-1700  •■  '^ 

French.     Louis  XIII 1610-1.643  3 

Louis  XIV 1643-1715  'l 

Swedish.  Christina 1633-1654(9 

Charles  X 1654-1660 ^^b 

Charles  XI 1660-1697   S- 

German.  Frederick  WiUiam,  Elector  of  Brandenburg 1640-1,688 

Frederick,  Elector  of  Brandenburg,  afterwards  King  Frederick 

I  of  Prussia 1688-1713  -t>  "*» 

Leopold  I,  Emperor  of  Germany 1658-170^ ,'  ^o^ 

Dutch.      Maurice,  Stadtholder i587-»ie'25  u. - 

Frederick  Henry i625-i64_2^>: 

William  II 1647-165'a  ' 

U^iited  Provinces  of  the  Netherlands 1650-167 2 

William  of  Orange,  afterwards  William  III  of  England 1672-1702^ 

English.   James  I  1603-1625  -* 

Charles  I 1625-1649 

Commonwealth  under  Cromwell 1649-1653 

Protectorate  under  Cromwell   1653-1660      > 

-Charles  II T660-1685 

James  II  1685-1689 

William  and  Mary 1689-1702 

S^Queen  Anne » .1702-1714""^^" 
George  I 1714-1727 
George  II  17 27-1 760 
George  III  1760-1820 


PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

George  Washington 1789-1797 

John  Adams .1797-1801 


19 


The  Spaniards  in  Florida  and   California 

1 565-1 764 


Figure  2. 
A  Spanish  Galleon. 


"  Those  were  the  days  of  dreams  and  legends, 
Continents  were  new." 

HE  first  settlement  in  North  America  was  the 
Spanish  post  of  St.  Augustine  in  Florida,  founded 
by  Pedro  Menendez  de  Aviles  in  August,  1565. 
Unsuccessful  attempts  had  been  made  to  colonize* 
Florida  both  by  the  French  and  the  Spaniards 
from  very  early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  but  the 
hostility  of  the  native  Indians  had  prevented 
the  founding  of  anything  like  a  colony.  Menen- 
dez (Figure  7)  found  a  small  Huguenot  mission 
when  he  landed,  which  he  immediately  de- 
stroyed,, putting  the  people  and  Jean  Ribaut, 
their  leader,  to  death  in  the  most  heartless  manner.  Horribly  cruel, 
deplorably  superstitious,  and  very  short-sighted  in  their  policy  were 
these  early  Spanish  settlers,  but  their  costumes,  as  represented  by  the 
great  contemporary  painters,  Vargas,  Roelas,  Velasquez,  Murillo, 
Moro  and  others,  must  have  been  strikingly  picturesque. 

Parkman  says:  "Month  after  month,  and  year  after  year  the 
adventurers  came,  a  procession  of  priests  and  cavaliers,  crossbow- 
men  and  arquebusiers  (Figure  4),  and  Indian  guides  laden  with 
baggage."* 

They  came  in  search  of  fabulous  riches  which,  according  to  some 

*  Pioneers  of  France  in  the^New  World,  by  Francis  Parkman. 
25 


/    . 


26 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


4 


Spanish  Munchausen,  the  soil  of  the  interior  contained,  and  also  to 
bathe  in  the  waters  of  a  river  of  perpetual  youth,  a  fable  in  which 
even  their  leaders  believed. 

/     The  dress  of  a  Spanish  gentleman  of  this  period  consisted  of  a 

'  doublet  and   slashed  breeches,  with  long  silken  hose  and  -shoes  of 

,  Cordovan  leather  slashed  on  the  toe,  a  ruff  of  lace  at  the  neck,  and  a 

•silk  hat  with  high  soft  crown  and  narrow  brim.     The  dress  of  a 

Spanish  soldier   is  shown   in  detail   in 
Figure. 

Sir  Francis  Drake  (Figure  8),  in 
1586,  stopped  at  St.  Augustine  on  his 
way  from  the  West  Indies  to  join  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh  in  Virginia  (Figure  11), 
and  made  a  reconnoissance  of  the  har- 
bour, but  the  Spaniards  fled  at  his 
approach.  He  destroyed  a  few  houses 
and  outposts  in  order  probably  to 
inspire  the  inhabitants  with  a  whole- 
some respect  for  the  English  navy,  and 
went  on  his  way  rejoicing  in  the  cap- 
ture of  a  pay-chest  containing  ;i^2,ooo. 
St.  Augustine  at  that  time  is  described 
as  "a  prosperous  settlement  with  a  council  house,  church  and 
handsome  gardens."  Some  traces  of  the  Spanish  occupation  are 
yet  to  be  seen  and  the  old  castle  or  fortress  built  in  1620  is  still 
standing. 

It  was  never  the  policy  of  Spain  to  make  her  colonies  self- 
supporting  ;  they  were  not  allowed  to  raise  or  manufacture  even  the 
necessaries  of  life,  everything  must  be  imported  from  the  mother 
country. 

Later  in  the  seventeenth  century,  settlements  were  also  made  in 
California,  where  the  Spaniards  established  missionary  and  military 


Figure  3. 
A  Spanish  Gentleman,  End  of  Six- 
teenth Century. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


27 


stations  in  1698,  and  Spain  had  for  a  time  two  flourishing  colonies 
in  the  territory  now  embraced  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States. 
In  Spain  and  France,  as  well  as  in  England  and  the  Low  Coun- 
tries, the  prevailing  types  of  _costume  during  the  seventeenth  centurvt 
were  very  much  alike,  and  the  people  in  all  the  Colonies  of  America,! 
following  the  fashions  of  their  time,  wore  doublets,  farthingales,  ruffs, ' 
bands,  hoods,  riding-masks,  etc.,  full  descriptions  of  which  are  given' 
in  the  glossary  and  throughout  Part  I,  with  many  illustrations.     / 


IX^ 


HajoO'trJ.  1568. 

Figure  4. 

Spanish  Soldiers  of  the  Middle  of  the  Sixteenth  Century,  with  Rapiers  and  Arquebuses 

(from  a  Contemporary  Print). 


During  the  reign  of  Charles  II  of  Spain  his  kingdom  was  con- 
tinually at  war  with  England.  The  Spanish  population  of  St. 
Augustine  numbered  about  three  hundred  people  and  fifty  Franciscan 
friars  in  1665,  when  Captain  John  Davis,  the  notorious  English 
buccaneer,  landed  and  destroyed  the  town.  After  this  the  Spanish 
Government  established  a  fort  at  Pensacola  to  protect  its  interests 


r 


28  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

in  Florida,  but  finally  the  two  kings,  Charles  II  of  England  and 
Charles  II  of  Spain,  made  a  treaty  for  the  suppression  of  buccaneer- 
ing, causing  a  marked  decline  in  that  lawless  but  romantic  profession 
which  has  furnished  plots  for  many  an  exciting  tale.  In  "The  Buc- 
caneers of  America"  *  a  portrait  of  Sir  Henry  Morgan  shows  a  very 
rich  costume  of  slashed  doublet  and  embroidered  baldrick.  Francis 
Lolonais,  a  fierce-looking  buccaneer  of  French  extraction,  is  por- 
trayed in  a  very  short  doublet  trimmed  with  a  row  of  square  tabs 
round  the  waist.  \ 

The  records  we  find  of  the  Spanish  rule  in  Florida,  which  lasted 
until  1763,  when  that  province  was  ceded  to  Great  Britain  in  ex- 
change for  Havana,  captured  by  the  English  the  preceding  year, 
bear  witness  to  the  charms  of  the  women,  their  lovely  expressive 
black  eyes,  clear  brunette  complexion,  and  carefully  arranged  hair. 
"At  mass  they  are  always  well  dressed  in  black  silk  basquinas  with 
little  mantillas  (or  black  lace  veils)  over  their  heads.  The  men  are 
in  military  costume."  Dancing,  as  in  all  the  Spanish  provinces, 
was  a  favourite  amusement,  and  the  Posey  Dance,  now  obsolete, 
was  very  popular  many  years  ago.     It  is  thus  described :  f 

"The  ladies  of  a  household  arrange  in  a  room  of  their  dwelling 
an  arbour  decked  with  garlands  of  flowers  and  lighted  with  many 
candles.  This  is  understood  by  the  gentlemen  as  an  invitation  to 
drop  in  and  admire  the  decorations.  Meanwhile  the  lady  who  has 
prepared  it  selects  a  partner  from  among  her  visitors  and  hands  him 
a  bouquet  of  flowers.  The  gentleman  who  receives  this  posey  be- 
comes for  the  nonce  the  king  of  the  ball,  and  leads  out  the  fair  donor 
as  queen  of  the  dance.  The  others  take  partners  and  the  ball  thus 
inaugurated  may  continue  several  successive  evenings.  Should  the 
lady's  choice  fall  upon  an  unwilling  swain,  which  seldom  happened, 
he  could  be  excused  by  paying  the  expenses  of  the  entertainment." 

*  By  John  Esquemeling. 

t  History  and  Antiquities  of  St.  Augustine,  by  George  R_E"airbanks. 


Figure  5. 


Figure  6. 


Figure  7. 


Figure  S. 


29 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  31 

These  assemblies  were  always  informal  and  frequented  by  all 
classes,  all  meeting  on  a  level,  but  were  conducted  with  the  utmost 
politeness  and  decorum,  for  which  the  Spanish  character  is  so  dis- 
tinguished. 

^The  customs,  as  well  as  the  costumes,  of  their  native  land  were 
followed  by  these  Spanish  colonists,  and  as  both  California  and 
Florida  closely  resemble  Spain  in  climate  and  vegetation,  the  old 
modes  of  life  were  found  particularly  appropriate. 

With  the  Spanish  colonies,  Texas  may  be  included,  for  although 
this  territory  was  the  subject  of  numerous  political  intrigues  between 
the  Spanish  authorities  and  the  French  in  Louisiana,  in  1692  it 
became  a  part  of  the  Spanish  province  of  Mexico. 


The  French  Settlements 


m 


Louisiana  and  the  Mississippi  Valley 

1680-1764 


"A  gay  and  gallant  company 
Those  voyagers  of  old." 

Undeterred  by  the  failures  and  reverses  of  previous  explorers,  the 
French  King  Louis  XIV  sent  out  an  expedition  under  Robert  Cavalier 
de  La  Salle  (Figure  6)  in  1680,  to  discover  if  possible  a  water- 
way across  the  continent  through  which  ships  might  pass  to  the 
South  Sea,  as  the  Pacific  Ocean  was  called  in  those  days. 

La  Salle  experienced  many  hardships  on  the  way,  but  finally 
reached  the  Mississippi  River  and  sailed  southward  to  its  mouth  in  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  At  this  point  a  wooden  column  was  raised,  hymns 
were  sung,  and  La  Salle  proclaimed,  "In  the  name  of  Louis  the 
great  King  of  France  and  Navarre,  fourteenth  of  that  name,  I  do 
take  possession  of  this  country  of  Louisiana — from  the  mouth  of 
the  river  St.  Louis  and  along  the  river  Colbert,  or  Mississippi, 
from  its  source  beyond  the  country  of  the  Sioux  as  far  as  its  mouth." 
A  cross  was  raised  by  the  side  of  the  column  and  in  the  ground  at 
its  foot  was  buried  a  leaden  plate  bearing  the  arms  of  France  and 
the  inscription,  "Ludovicus  Magnus  Regnat." 

By  this  discovery  La  Salle  had  proved  that  ships  from  Europe 
might  sail  to  the  vast  interior  of  the  continent.  He  now  hoped  to 
colonize  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  add  a  new  lustre  to  the 
crown  of  France. 

32 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  33 

Father  Hennepin,  writing  in  1683,  says:  "Le  Sieur  de  la  Salle 
appeared  at  Mass  very  well  dress'd  in  his  scarlet  cloak  trimmed 
with  gold  lace."*    A  picture  of  the  fashionable  cloak  of  that  period  , 

is  given  in  Figure  3. 

Discouraged  by  many  hardships,  on  their  way  up  the  Mississippi 
River  some  of  La  Salle's  men  mutinied  and  killed  the  great  explorer, 
but,  despite  his  failure  to  found  a  colony  at  the  outlet  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, he  stands  out  in  history  as  the  foremost  pioneer  in  North 
America. 

Trading  posts  and  mission  stations  grew  up  in  many  places, 
and  were  gradually  augmented  by  bands  of  emigrants  from  other 
parts  of  the  country. 

Louis  XIV  still  cherished  the  ambition  to  found  a  Colonial  Domin- 
ion on  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  so  dramatically  claimed 
for  him  by  La  Salle, — a  colony  which  in  time  might  rival  the  flourish- 
ing English  settlements  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  Accordingly,  in  1698, 
he  sent  out  to  Louisiana  a  squadron  of  two  frigates  and  two  smaller 
ships  bearing  a  company  of  mariners  and  about  two  hundred  colonists. 
Among  the  latter^Bcre  many  ex-soldiers  of  the  French  army  accom- 
panied by  their  w^^s  and  children.  Others  were  artisans,  labourers, 
and  needy  adventurers.  "They  were  all  supplied  with  necessary 
clothing,  provisions,  and  implements  for  beginning  a  settlement  in 
the  remote  solitudes  of  Louisiana." 

In  1704,  twenty  unmarried  women  were  sent  out  under  the  charge 
of  two  nuns,  and  shortly  after  their  arrival  in  Louisiana  were  married 
to  bachelor  colonists.  The  same  ship  brought  troops  to  reinforce 
the  garrison,  and  four  priests. 

'  The  costume  of  these  early  French  settlers  was  somewhat  motley  ^        ^ 
in  its  composition.     The  women  were  dressed  in  coloured  bodices   \ 
and  short  gowns  of  handmade  woolen  stuffs,  or  of  French  goods  of   ' 
finer  texture.     In  summer  most  of  them  went  without  shoes,  but  in    i 

♦Description  of  Louisiana  1683,  translated  by  J.  G.  Shee. 


34 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


J 


,  winter  and  on  holidays  they  wore  Indian  moccasins  gaily  decorated 
I  with  porcupine  quills,  shells,  and  coloured  beads.  Instead  of  hats 
(  they  wore  kerchiefs  of  bright  colours  interlaced  with  gay  ribbons 
1    or  wreathed  with  flowers. 

I    >/  The  men  wore  long  vests  drawn  over  their  shirts,  leggings  of 
buckskin  or  of  coarse  woolen  cloth,  and  wooden  clog  shoes  or  moc- 
casins of  heavy  leather.     In  winter  they  wrapped  themselves  in  long 
(  capotes  or  overcoats  with  capes  and  hoods  which  could  be  drawn 
(Over  their  heads,  thus  serving  for  hats.     In  summer  their  heads  were 

covered  with  blue  handkerchiefs 
worn  turbanlike  as  a  protection  from 
mosquitoes  as  well  as  from  the  sun. 

The     French     settlements    were 
usually  small   villages   on   the    edge 
of  the  prairie  or  in  the  heart  of  the 
woods.     They  were  always  near  the 
bank  of  a  river,  for  the  watercourses 
were  the  only  roads,  and   the  light 
canoes,  such  as  the  Indians  used,  the 
only    means    of    travel.      In    these 
villages  the  French  settlers  lived  like 
one    family,    ruled    by    the    village 
priests  and   the  elders  of  the  com- 
munity.    Their  houses  were  built  along  a  single  narrow  street,  and 
close  enough   together  for  the  villagers  to  carry  on  a  neighbourly 
gossip,  each  from  his  own  doorstep. 

Adjoining  the  village  was  a  large  enclosure,  or  common  field, 
for  the  free  use  of  all  the  villagers.  It  was  divided  into  allotments, 
one  for  each  household,  the  size  proportioned  to  the  number  of  per- 
sons in  the  family. 

The  village  traders  always  kept  a  small  stock  of  French  goods, 
laces,  ribbons  and  other  useful  and  ornamental  articles,  which  they 


Figure  9. 
French  Peasant  Women  (from  a  Con- 
temporary French  Print). 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


35 


exchanged  with  the  settlers  for  the  products  of  the  forest.  Some  of 
the  young  men  became  voyageurs  or  boatmen  in  the  service  of  the 
traders.  When  the  wood-rangers  returned  once  a  year  to  their  village 
homes,  great  was  the  rejoicing,  and  old  and  young  gathered  around 
them  to  hear  the  story  of  their  adventures.  These  French  settlers 
took  characteristic  delight  in  amusement  and  "had  almost  as  many 
holidays  as  working  days."  * 

Indian  converts  lived  in  amicable  intercourse  with  the  settlers, 
learning  from  them  to  culti- 
vate the  ground,  and  to 
manufacture  various  useful 
articles  from  the  hair  of  the 
buflfalo. 

Many  of  the  original  set- 
tlers married  Indian  women; 
their  descendants  were  called 
half-breeds  or  Gumbos,  the 
latter  being  a  nick-name  given 
to  them  by  the  French.  The 
language  of  the  Louisiana 
colonists  was  a  patois,  a  cor- 
rupted provincial  French. 

Among  them  were  a  few  carpenters,  tailors,  stone-masons, 
boat-builders,  and  blacksmiths,  the  latter  capable  of  repairing  a 
firelock  or  a  rifle. 

The  city  of  New  Orleans  was  founded  in  171 7  and  rapidly  grew 
in  size  and  importance.  For  many  years  a  "rude  semblance  of  a 
Court"  was  maintained  and  social  amusements  of  various  sorts 
could  be  engaged  in,  even  duelling  and  brawling,  for  some  of  the 
Louisiana  colonists  were  of  noble  birth  and  many  were  military 
officers.     "All  the  people  shared  alike  the  harmless  merriment  and 

*  Discovery  of  the  Old  Northwest  and  Its  Settlement  by  the  French,  by  James  Baldwin. 
3 


Figure  id. 
Jesuit  Missionaries. 


^V 


36  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

frolic  of  the  carnival.     All,  too,  observed  the  self-denying  ordinances 
of  the  Lenten  season  which  terminated  in  the  festival  of  Easter." 

The  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1764,  gave  to  the  English  Government 
the  Illinois  and  Louisiana  colonies  as  well  as  the  province  of  Acadia, 
in  Nova  Scotia,*  originally  peopled  by  Normandy  peasants  whose 
pathetic  story  Longfellow  has  made  so  familiar  to  us.  More  than 
six  hundred  of  the  Acadian  exiles  were  sent  to  Louisiana,  where  they 
had  at  least  the  comfort  of  hearing  their  native  language,  and  where 
the  customs  and  pursuits  were  more  congenial  than  in  the  northern 
colonies.  The  quaint  costumes  and  the  peculiar  head-dresses  worn 
by  Normandy  peasants  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  are 
minutely  described  in  Mrs.  Stothard's  "Letters  written  during  a 
tour  through  Normandy,  Brittany  and  other  parts  of  France," 
illustrated  in  colour  by  her  husband.  This  book  was  published  in 
London  in  18 18,  and  is  the  earliest  authority  on  the  subject  I  have 
found.  The  descriptions  are  not  quoted  here,  as  there  is  not  any 
evidence  that  very  elaborate  peasant  dress  was  ever  worn  in .  the 
American  colonies,  f 

*  Thus  named  by  a  company  of  Scots  who  planted  a  settlement  there  in  1622. 
t  For  Spanish  and  French  costumes,  see  Racinet's  Le  Costume  Historique  and  Kretch- 
mer's  Trachten  der  Volker. 


PART  I 
THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY 


THE  ENGLISH  COLONIES 


IN 


VIRGINIA,  MARYLAND,  THE  BARBADOES, 
AND  THE  CAROLINAS 

I 607-1 700 

During  the  Reigns  of 

James  I,  Charles  I  and  II,  James  II,  and 

William  and  Mary 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  41 


TOBACCO 

Tobacco  is  but  an  Indian  weed, 

Grows  green  in  the  morn,  cut  down  at  eve. 

It  shows  our  decay, 

We  are  but  clay. 
Think  of  this  when  you  smoke  tobacco! 

The  pipe  that  is  so  lily  white, 
Wherein  so  many  take  deUght, 

It  breaks  with  a  touch, 

Man's  life  is  such; 
Think  of  this  when  you  take  tobacco! 

The  pipe  that  is  so  foul  within. 

It  shows  man's  soul  is  stained  with  sin; 

It  doth  require 

To  be  purged  with  fire; 
Think  of  this  when  you  smoke  tobacco! 

The  dust  that  from  that  pipe  doth  fall, 
It  shows  we  are  nothing  but  dust  at  all. 

For  we  came  from  dust, 

And  return  we  must; 
Think  of  this  when  you  smoke  tobacco ! 

The  ashes  that  are  left  behind. 
Do  serve  to  put  us  all  in  mind 

That  into  dust 

Return  we  must; 
Think  of  this  when  you  take  tobacco ! 

The  smoke  that  doth  so  high  ascend, 
Shows  that  man's  life  must  have  an  end; 

The  vapour's  gone, 

Man's  Hfe  is  done; 
Think  of  this  when  you  take  tobacco ! 

— Thomas  D'Urfey,  17 19. 


The    English  in  Virginia,   Maryland,  the 

Barbadoes,    and   the   Carolinas 

I 607-1 700 


Figure  ii. 


AMESTOWN  in  Virginia  was  the  first_actual 
settlement  of  the  EngHsh  people  in  America. 
The  Virginia  Company,  of  which  Sir  Edwin 
Sandys  was  President,  was  formed  under  the 
patent  of  King  James  I.  The  first  ships  sent 
over  arrived  in  1607,  at  the  mouth  of  the  James 
River,  where  a  fortified  village  was  built,  and 
trade  established  with  the  surrounding  Indians. 
One  hundred  colonists  came  in  the  first  expedi- 
tion, a  great  number  of  them  being  men  of 
quality.  As  Captain  John  Smith,  in  his  delightful  "History  of  the 
Virginia  Settlement,"  puts  it: 

"We  had  far  too  many  gentlemen  adventurers  amongst  us,  and 
of  a  necessity  some  of  these  must  needs  be  not  quite  all  we  could 
wish  as  reliable  companions.  Out  of  one  hundred  colonists  there  are 
fifty-two  gentlemen  adventurers  besides  Master  Robert  Hunt,  the 
Preacher,  and  Masters  Thomas  Wotton  and  William  Wilkinson, 
the  Chirurgeons.  We  had  four  carpenters,  twelve  labourers,  a  black- 
smith, a  sailor,  a  bricklayer,  a  mason,  a  tailor  and  a  drummer,  four 
boys  and  some  others." 

43 


44 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


The  Company  in  London  advised  each  emigrant  to  provide  him- 
self with  the  following  articles  of  dress : 


A  Monmouth  cap, 
Three  shirts, 
One  suit  of  canvas, 
One  pair  of  garters, 
Four  pairs  of  shoes. 


Three_fal]iii^Jtiands,  ^"\^ 
One  waistcoat, 
One  suit  of  frieze, 
One  suit  of  broadcloth, 
Three  pairs  of  silk  stockings, 


One  dozen  pairs  of  points. 


^U^7. 


JSjU. 


From  original  prints  in  this  book  of  Captain  John  Smith's,  we 
get  the  costume  of  the  gentleman  adventurer,  similar  in  style,  of 

course,  to  the  garments 
worn  by  men  of  rank  in 
England  during  the  reign  of 
James  I.  A  portrait  of  Sir 
Edwin  Sandys,  or  Sandes 
as  it  is  sometimes  written,  is 
given  in  Figure  13,  show- 
ing the  prevailing  dress 
of  an  English  gentleman, 
a  brocade  doublet,  a  lace- 
trimmed  ruff,  and  a  pointed 
beard.  The  strange  fashion 
which  was  conspicuous  at 
King  James's  Court,  of  padding  and  stuffing  the  breeches,  called 
farthingale  breeches  on  account  of  the  resemblance  to  that  most 
disfiguring  but  popular  article  of  fashion  worn  by  women  in  the 
reigns  of  Elizabeth  and  James  I,  was  probably  followed  in  a  modified 
form  by  these  gentlemen  adventurers,  as  the  padding  was  supposed 
to  be  a  protection  against  rapiers  and  arrows. 

Stays  were  also  worn  by  men  in  those  days  beneath  long-waisted 
doublets;  and  ruffs  too  were  used,  although  they  gradually  dimin- 
ished in  size  and  stiffness  (Figures  11,  15,  and  21). 


Figure  12. 


>  ;  %  •  •  •  • 


Figure  13. 


Figure  14. 


i-IGURK    15. 


Figure  16. 


45 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


47 


Figure  17. 
The  Farthingale. 


In  the  portraits  of  the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Somerset,*  so  often 

reproduced,  may  be  seen  the  costumes  worn  by  the  nobility  of  this 

time,  but    there  were   no    radical   changes  in 

English  costume  from  1550,  the  middle  of  Eliza- 
beth's reign,  until  the  accession  of  Charles  I 

in  1625.     If  any  change  of  fashion  appeared  in 

the  early  days  of  life  at  Jamestown,  the  tailor 

of  the  Company  was  probably  responsible  for 

it,  and  the  old  adage,  "Cut  your  coat  according 

to  your  cloth,"  was  very  likely  his  inspiration.    . 

The  present  of  a  cloak  of  raccoon  skins  from  King  Powhattan  to 

Captain  John  Smith  must  have  been  very  acceptable  as,  according  to 

Stith,  the  first  winter  was  very  damp  and  cold. 
The  first  women  to  come  to  Virginia 
were  Mrs.  Forrest  and  her  maid  Anne  Bur- 
roughs, who,  soon  after  her  arrival,  married 
John  Laydon.  This  was  the  first  English 
wedding  on  American  soil.f  Figure  21 
represents  the  style  of  dress  worn  by  Mrs. 
Forrest.  Her  maid's  costume  was  of  similar 
cut,  but  of  linsey-woolsey,  with  cuffs  and 
falling  band  of  plain  linen. 

As  early  as  1621  the  Company  resolved 
to  establish  a  free  school  for  children.  The 
costumes  of  children  given  in  Figures  18 
and  23  are  taken  from  a  picture  of  a 
Dame's  School  in  England  by  A.  de  Bosse, 
1602-1676. 
In  1622  the  College,  afterward  known  as  "William  and  Mary," 

was  first  talked  of,  but  it  was  in  this  year  that  occurred  the  horrible 


^».», 


A.lt'B: 


Figure  18. 


Ordinary  Dress  of  a  Boy 
at  this  Period,  1 602-1 676 
(from  a  Contemporary  Print). 


*  Fairholt's  History  of  English  Costume. 

t  History  of  the  First  Discovery  and  Settlement  of  Virginia,  by  William  Stith. 


48  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

massacre  of  the  English  by  the  Indians  which  sadly  reduced  their 
numbers.  However,  the  survivors  struggled  valiantly  on,  and  gradu- 
ally comfortable  houses  were  built,  even  for  the  labouring  men, 
while  the  houses  of  the  people  of  quality  could  boast  of  many  con- 
veniences. 

In  1624  an  attempt  was  made  to  produce  silk  from  the  mulberry 
trees  which  flourished  in  Virginia,  and  skilled  workmen  were  sent 
over  by  Nicholas  Farrar  from  France  to  raise  silkworms,  but  the 
effort  was  not  successful. 

King  James  died  in  1625  and  the  accession  of  Charles  I  proved 
a  blessing  to  the  Virginia  Colony,  for  the  new  king  left  the  affairs 
of  government  to  Sir  Edwin_Sandys  and  the  Virginia  House  of  Bur- 
gesses which  held  its  meetings  in  the  church  at  Jamestown.  The 
Representatives  coming  in  barges  from  their  plantations  along  the 
river  were  usually  accompanied  by  their  wives  and  daughters,  who 
embraced  these  opportunities  to  show  off  their  fine  apparel  (Figures 
20,  21,  32,  33,  35,  36).  ■;^ery  gay  and  elaborate  the  finery  of  that 
period  seems,  even  from  our  twentieth  century  standpoint. 

In  the  body  of  the  church,  facing  the  choir,  sat  the  Burgesses  in 
their  best  attire,  with  starched  ruffs  or  stiff  neckbands  (Figure  22) 
and  doublets  of  silk  or  velvet  in  bright  colours.  All  sat  with  their  hats 
on  in  imitation  of  the  time-honoured  custom  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons (Figures  15,  19,  and  22).*  These  same  Burgesses,  however,  did 
not  approve  of  too  general  a  display  of  fine  clothing,  it  seems,  for 
among  many  astute  laws  passed  by  them  was  the  following,  to 
prevent  extravagance  in  dress:  "Be  it  enacted  that  for  all  public 
contributions  every  unmarried  man  must  be  assessed  in  church 
according  to  his  own  apparel,  and  every  married  man  must  be 
assessed  according  to  his  own  and  his  wife's  apparel." 

The  years  from  1625  to  1642  were  marked  with  great  prosperity 
and  progress,  and  when  Berkeley  was  sent  over  with  the  title  of  English 

*  Old  Virginia  and  her  Neighbours. 


4fuu^ 


49 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  51 

Governor,  the  inhabitants  of  Virginia  numbered  eighteen  thousand 
EngHsh  and  three  hundred  negroes. 

At  that  time  London  fashions  were  strictly  followed  by  the  quality, 
and  seem  to  have  been  not  only  the  chief  amusement  of  the  women, 
but  matter  of  great  moment  to  both  sexes  (Figures  13,  14,  19,  20, 

2>^,  ZZ^  35.  36). 

The  fashionable  costume  in  England  during  the  reign  of  Charles 
I,  made  familiar  to  us  by  the  magic  brush  of  Vandyke,  was  pictur- 
esque in  the  extreme. 

>/ A  gentleman  of  those  days  wore  a  doublet  of  satin  or  velvet  with 
large  loose  sleeves  slashed  up  the  front  (Figures  45,  46);  the  collar 
covered  by  a  falling  band  of  richest  point-lace  with  the  peculiar 
edging  now  called  Vandyke  (Figures  14  and  16),  and  a  short  cloak 
worn  carelessly  over  one  shoulder.  Bands  were  called  "  peccadilles " 
when  trimmed  with  this  pointed  lace,  so  fashionable  in  the  middle 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  it  is  interesting  to  read  that  the  fash- 
ionable London  thoroughfare,  Piccadilly,  gets  its  name  from  a  shop 
where  ''peccadilles"  were  made  and  sold  in  the  reign  of  Charles  I. 
Under  slashed  doublets,  loose  shirts  of  Holland  linen  were  worn. 
(See  portrait  of  Sir  George  Percy  [Figure  29],  second  Governor  of 
the  Virginia  Colony.)  The  breeches,  fringed  or  pointed,  met  the 
tops  of  the  wide  boots  (Figures  51,  55),  which  were  ruffled  with  lace, 
lawn,  or  soft  leather.  A  broad-leafed  Flemish  beaver  hat,  with  a 
rich  hatband  and  plume  of  feathers  (Figure  19),  was  set  on  one  side 
of  the  head,  and  a  Spanish  rapier  hung  from  a  most  magnificent 
baldrick  or  sword-belt  worn  sash-wise  over  the  right  shoulder.  In 
troublous  times  the  doublet  of  silk  or  velvet  was  frequently  exchanged 
for  a  buff  coat  (Figures  83,  84,  85,  86,  87)  which  was  richly  laced, 
sometimes  embroidered  with  gold  or  silver,  and  enriched  by  a  broad 
silk  or  satin  scarf  tied  in  a  large  bow  either  behind  or  over  the  hip, 
in  which  case,  the  short  cloak  was  perhaps  dispensed  with;  in  some 
instances  the  buff  jerkin  without  sleeves  was  worn  over  the  doublet 


52 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


(Figure   87).     The  beard  was  worn  "very  peaked  with   small  up- 
turned mustaches;  the  hair  long  on  the  neck." 

George  Sandys,  the  celebrated  traveller,  a  younger  brother  of  the 
President  of  the  Company  in  London,  was  sent  over  to  Jamestown 
in  the  capacity  of  treasurer.  During  his  stay  in  the  colony,  he  trans- 
lated ten  books  of  Ovid.  This  was  the  first  poetical  achievement  in 
America.  The  portrait  of  him  (Figure  14)  shows  the  slashed  doublet 
and  the  Vandyke  collar  of  this  reign. 

x/  A  gentlewoman  of  the  same  time  wore  V 
a  long  soft  skirt,  with  a  low-cut  bodice 
finished  with  square  tabs  about  the  waist 
(Figures  20,  32,  49),  full  sleeves  a  little 
below  the  elbow,  with  soft  ruffles  of  rich 
lace,  a  wide  collar  of  the  same  lace  being 
worn  over  the  shoulders  but  allowing  the 
throat  and  neck  to  show.  Soft  breast-knots 
of  ribbon  were  also  much  worn.  The  hair 
was  usually  curled  over  the  brow,  falling  to 
the  shoulders  in  rather  tight  ringlets,  and  ar- 
ranged in  a  knot  at  the  back  (Figures  20,  73). 
Earrings  were  very  popular  in  England 
in  Vandyke's  time,  not  only  for  women  but 
for  men,  as  we  may  see  by  the  numerous 
specimens  in  his  portraits.  In  his  famous 
painting  of  Charles  I  in  the  National  Gallery  in  London,  the  King  is 
represented  with  a  pear-shaped  pearl-drop  in  one  ear.  This  was  the 
most  advantageous  way  of  displaying  a  pearl  of  more  than  usual 
beauty,  but  the  origin  of  the  fashion  of  piercing  the  lobe  of  the  ear 
has  been  ascribed  by  many  authorities  to  the  common  belief  that  it 
was  a  cure  for  weak  eyes.  Tradition  also  associates  the  fashion  with 
navigators  and  seamen.  Probably  it  was  thought  to  be  a  safe  way 
of  carrying  precious  stones  found  in  perilous  adventures  by  land  and 


^3S. 


Figure  23. 
Ordinary  Dress  of  a  Little 
Girl  of    the    Period    1602-1676 
(from  a  Contemporary  Print). 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


53 


sea,  but  there  is  not  any  evidence  that  earrings  were  at  any  time  a 
fashion  favoured  by  men  in  the  Colonies  of  America. 

Mr.  Bruce,  in  his  "Economic  History  of  Virginia,"  remarks:  "The 
incongruity  of  shining  apparel  with  the  rude  surroundings  of  new 
settlements  in  the  wilderness  does  not  seem  to  have  jarred  upon  the 
perceptions  of  the  population  except  so  far  as  it  implied  an  unnecessary 
expenditure,  and  this  view  was  only  taken  when  the  resources  of  the 
Colony  were  seriously  impaired. 

"About  the  middle  of  the  century 
a  law  was  passed  prohibiting  the 
introduction  of  silk  in  pieces  except 
for  hoods  or  scarfs,  or  of  silver,  gold 
or  bone  lace,  or  of  ribbons  wrought 
in  gold  or  silver.  All  goods  of  this 
character  brought  into  the  colonies 
were  confiscated  and  then  exported." 
v'  The  typical  workingman's  cos- 
timie  of  this  period  consisted  of  loose 
breeches  and  jerkin  of  canvas  or 
frieze;  hose  of  coarse  wool,  shoes  of 
tanned  leather  tied  in  front;  hat  of 
thrums  or  felt.  "The  carpenters,  the 
labourers,  the  blacksmith,  the  mason, 
and  the  bricklayer"  of  the  Virginia 
Company   were    in    all    probability 

dressed  in  this  way.  The  tailor  and  the  drummer  may  have  worn 
their  breeches  fastened  at  the  knee  with  points,  and  all  these  useful 
members  of  the  Company  wore  aprons  of  dressed  leather  when  at 
work.  Mariners,  according  to  contemporary  authorities,  wore  a 
similar  costume  (Figure  24). 

Randle  Holmes,  another  contemporary  authority,  gives  the  follow- 
ing picture  of  a  countryman  in  1660,  showing  that  the  hat,  doublet. 


Figure  24. 
An  English  Mariner  (from  a  Contem- 
porary Print). 


54 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


and  short  breeches  of  the  reign  of  James  I  were  worn  in  country 
districts  of  England  as  late  as  the  Restoration;  the  short  breeches 
probably  being  of  leather  and  the  hose  of  stout  woolen  clotli. 

Bishop    Coleman    tells  us   that    in    the    Jamestown    Settlement 
"church  services,  according  to  the  English  ritual,  were  held  daily  by 

the  Reverend  Robert  Hunt,  formerly  rector 
of  a  living  in  Kent.  Soon  after  the  arrival 
of  the  Colonists  sent  over  by  the  Virginia 
Company,  in  1607,  an  altar  was  erected 
under  the  shade  of  the  forest  trees,  and 
the  emigrants  gladly  attended  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Holy  Communion.  English 
churchmen  came  to  Massachusetts  in  1623; 
to  Maryland  in  1629;.  Lord  Baltimore 
wrote  that  four  clergymen  of  the  Church 
of  England  were  in  his  province  with 
decent  maintenance  in  1676."  Surplices 
were  very  expensive  in  the  Colonies;  5000 
pounds  of  tobacco  was  the  price  paid  for 
three  of  them  in  Virginia,  and  probably 
they  were  not  available  in  every  parish. 
Regular  services  were  held  in  New  Eng- 
land in  1638,  in  South  Carolina  in  1660, 
in  New  York  in  1674,  in  New  Jersey  in 
1678,  and  in  Pennsylvania  in  1694.* 
These  dates  are  quoted  to  show  that  in  the  English  Colonies,  under 
English  rule,  tjie  clergy  wore,  as  in  England,  the  customary  dress  of 
the  period:  a  black  coat  (ancestor  of  the  cassock),  full  breeches  to 
the  knee,  silk  hose  fastened  with  points,  a  soft  brimmed  hat,  and 
plain  stock  or  falling  band  for  outdoor  wear;  the  white  surplice  with 
bands  and  a  close  cap  of  black  silk  or  velvet  in  church.     Bishops 

*  History  of  the  American  Church. 


1^60 

Figure  25. 

Countryman  in  Doublet  (from  a 

print  by  Randle  Holmes,  1660). 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


55 


ordinarily  wore  the  usual  full-sleeved  white  robes  with  black  stoles. 
Out-of-doors  long  full  cloaks  were  worn  universally  for  protection  from 
the  weather. 


Figure  26. 
Soldier  in  Cuirass  and  Morion  (from  an  Old  English  Print,  Seventeenth  Century). 

Hard,  indeed,  must  have  been  the  lives  of  the  pioneer  clergy  of 
every  denomination  in  America  before  1700,  and  in  remote  parts 


^ 


56  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA. 

they  were  probably  constrained  to  wear  whatever  they  could  have 
made  at  home.  The  general  outlines  of  the  accepted  dress  of  the 
times,  given  here,  are  based  upon  careful  historical  research.  Further 
details  will  be  found  in  the  authorities  quoted. 

Close-fitting  black  caps  were  worn  habitually  by  the  clergymen 
of  all  denominations.  Instead  of  the  white  surplice,  the  black  Geneva 
or  preaching  gown  was  adopted  by  Non-conformists,  Presbyterian 
ministers  and  Puritan  divines  in  all  the  Colonies. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  represented  chiefly  by  the 
Jesuits,  a  missionary  priesthood,  who  habitually  adopted  the  dress 
of  the  people  with  whom  they  sojourned.  Maryland  was  the  active 
centre  of  Catholicism  in  the  Colonies.  When  Father  Greaton  of  the 
Jesuit  Order  was  sent  from  there  to  Philadelphia  and  founded  the 
Parish  of  St.  Joseph  in  that  city,  we  are  told  that  he  entered  the 
Province  of  Penn  in  the  dress  of  a  Quaker.*  But  this  did  not  happen 
until  1 73 1. 

<;^^^Maryland  was  settled  in  1633  by  Lord  Baltimore,  whose  ambition 
was  to  found  a  commonwealth  in  the  Colonies  where  Roman  Catholics 
might  escape  the  oppressive  legislation  to  which  they  were  subjected 
in  England.  He  brought  with  him  his  wife,  children,  and  many 
servants,  and  following  the  English  customs  of  living,  naturally  brought 
over  the  prevailing  costumes  of  his  day. 

That  armour  was  sometimes  worn  by  the  Colonists,  ample  proof 
is  given  in  the  early  records.  In  the  archives  of  the  first  colony  of 
Jamestown  it  is  stated,  among  the  proceedings  of  the  Virginia  Com- 
pany, that 

Brigandines,  alias  plate  coats 100 

Jacks  of  mail 40 

Jerkins  or  shirts  of  mail 400 

Skulls   2000 

Calivers  and  other  pieces,  belts,  halberts,  swords, 

*  History  of  Old  St.  Joseph's,  Philadelphia,  by  Martin  I.J.  Griffin. 


V/  \ 


t 


Figure  27. 


Figure  28. 


Figure  29 


Figure  30. 
57 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


59 


were  sent  out  from  London  upon  request  of  the  Burgesses,  July  17, 
1622.  In  the  Historical  Society  at  Richmond,  portions  of  a  steel 
vambrace  are  preserved  which  were  dug  up  at  Jamestown  in  1861 
(Figure  30). 

At  the  time  of  the  first  Colony  in  America,  heavy  plate  armour 
had  gone  out  of  use,  and  back  and  breast  plates  with  overlapping 


FiGXTRE   31. 

A  Doublet  of  Satin  Trimmed  with  a  Narrow  Galloon  and  Points  of  the  Same  Colour  with 
Padded  Lining,  1600-25  (^^ign  of  James  I). 

tuilles  or  tassetts  to  protect  the  thighs,  and  helmets  for  the  head, 
were  generally  worn.  Whole  suits  of  armour  may  have  been  worn 
on  occasions,  but  so  great  had  been  the  improvement  in  firearms 
that  armour  was  no  longer  a  safeguard,  according  to  Fairholt,  and 
in  the  time  of  Charles  I,  stout  buff  coats  thick  enough  to  resist  a 


6o  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

sword  thrust,  under  a  cuirass  and  a  gorget  (Figures  88,  89,  and  90) 
affording  special  protection  for  the  throat  and  chest,  a  helmet  of 
metal,  and  breeches  and  boots  of  tough  leather,  formed  the  customary 
uniform  of  the  soldier.  The  armour  of  a  mounted  officer,  judging 
from  effigies  on  old  English  tombs  and  from  prints  of  the  day,  was 
more  formidable,  the  arms  and  legs  being  encased  in  steel,  at  least 
all  that  part  of  the  body  not  hidden  by  the  saddle.  Pictures  of 
buff  coats  (Figures  8t„  84,  85,  86,  and  87),  and  drawings  of  a 
pikeman  and  a  musketeer  are  given  (Figures  26  and  78). 

There  is  an  anonymous  pamphlet  called  "A  Perfect  Description 
of  Virginia,"  printed  in  Force's  Tracts,  which  shows  the  inducements 
set  forth  in  England  to  bring  people  to  the  Colony.  The  great  ad- 
vantages of  the  country,  its  resources,  agricultural  and  even  educa- 
tional, are  announced  in  glowing  terms,  and  one  citation  at  least  bears 
directly  upon  the  history  of  costume.  In  describing  the  fine  house 
of  one,  Sir  John  Harvey,  the  author  says:  "He  sows  yearly  stores 
of  hemp  and  flax,  and  causes  it  to  be  spun,  he  keeps  weavers,  and 
hath  a  tan  house,  causes  leather  to  be  dressed,  hath  eight  shoemakers 
employed  in  their  trade." 

After  the  execution  of  King  Charles  I,  a  great  many  of  the 
Cavaliers  of  England  sought  a  haven  of  refuge  in  Virginia  and 
Maryland.  They  were  followed  by  many  other  representatives  of 
distinguished  families  who  could  not  brook  the  rule  of  Cromwell. 

We  realize  how  luxurious  life  in  Virginia  had  already  become  for 
the  prosperous,  when  we  read  that  Governor  Berkeley  (against  whom 
Bacon  rebelled  in  1675)  retired  to  his  rural  estate  of  "Green  Spring" 
near  Jamestown  from  1652  to  1660,  where  he  had  an  orchard  of  more 
than  two  thousand  fruit  trees — apples,  pears,  peaches,  and  apricots — 
and  a  stable  of  seventy  fine  horses.  Here  he  lived  in  ease,  entertain- 
ing Cavalier  guests  and  drinking  healths  to  King  Charles,  until  re- 
called to  Jamestown  as  Governor.  In  1661  he  went  to  London  and 
remained  a  year.    While  there  he  saw  the  performance  of  his  play, 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  6i 

"The  Lost  Lady,"  described  by  Pepys  in  his  diary.     This  play  con- 
tained the  following  mention  of  the  costumes  of  the  day: 

"  Observe  with  me  how  in  that  deep  band, 
Short  cloak,  and  his  great  boots,  he  Ipoks 
Three  stories  high,  and  his  head  is  the 
Garret  where  he  keeps  nothing  but  hsts  of 
Horse  matches  and  some  designs  for  his  next  clothes." 

In  the  first  part  of  the  reign  of  Charles  II,  doublets  were  worn  ^ 
much  shorter  and  opened  over  a  Holland  shirt,  which  hung  over  the  . 
waistband  of  the  loose  breeches,  the  latter  as  well  as  the  large  full 
sleeves  were  ornamented  with  points  and  "ribbands"  (Figures  29  and 
68).     The  falling  collar  was  also  of  lace.     With  this  costume  a  high- 
crowned  hat  with  plume  of  feathers  was  sometimes  worn  (Figure  19). 

A  year  or  so  later  the  fashion  of  petticoat  breeches,  trimmed  with 
"many  rows  of  loops  of  ribbon  overlapping  like  shingles,"  came  into 
vogue  for  a  short  time  (Figure  68).  A  certain  Captain  Creedon  ap- 
peared in  the  street  of  Boston  with  this  fantastic  garb,  much  to  the 
astonishment  of  the  pedestrians,  we  are  told.  Probably  this  particu- 
lar style  was  more  popular  with  the  gayer  Colonists  in  ^^rginia  and 
the  Carolinas,  who  kept  in  touch  with  the  Court  fashions. 

Later  in  the  same  reign  (Charles  II)  "the  doublet  was  worn  much 
longer  with  sleeves  to  the  elbows,  finished  with  hanging  ribbands 
from  under  which  the  ruffled  sleeves  of  the  shirt  hung  out."  Thus  »^ 
the  doublet  became  transformed  into  a  coat,  and  in  an  inventory 
of  apparel  provided  for  the  King  in  1679,  a  complete  suit  of  one 
material  is  mentioned  as  "coat  and  breeches."  Neck-cloths  were 
worn  toward  the  close  of  this  reign. 

For  a  few  years  extending  into  the  reign  of  James  II,  a  long  coat 
reaching  to  the  knees  and  closely  buttoned  down  the  front  came  into 
fashion.  Full  breeches  hanging  in  full  folds  over  the  garters  were 
worn  with  this  style  of  coat  (Figures  137  and  138). 

"The  gowns  of  the  ladies  of  the  English   Court  at  this  period 


62  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

were  cut  very  low,  with  slashed  sleeves,  and  were  trimmed  with  lace 
and  jewels"*  (Figures  20,  32  and  49).  Long  gloves  reaching  to  the 
elbow  were  worn  with  low  cut  dresses  (Figures  ^^  and  35). 

The  fashion  of  wearing  patches  came  in  towards  the  end  of  the 
reign  of  Charles  I,  and  continued  in  vogue  until  George  Ill's  day. 
They  are  mentioned  in  1650.  "Our  ladies  have  lately  entertained  a 
vain  custom  of  spotting  their  faces  out  of  affectation  of  a  mole,  to 
set  off  their  beauty  such  as  Venus  had;  and  it  is  well  if  one  black 
patch  will  serve  to  make  their  faces  remarkable,  for  some  fill  their 
faces  full  of  them,  varied  into  all  manner  of  shapes."  Patches  are"^ 
associated  with  the  fashion  of  powdering  the  hair  (i 720-1 778),  but 
when  Mrs.  Pepys  was  permitted  by  her  husband  to  wear  a  patch 
we  have  his  word  for  it  that  she  looked  "very  pretty."  It  "is  not 
likely  that  the  extreme  of  this  fashion,  as  described  in  Bulwer's  satirical 
lines,  was  seen  in  the  Colonies : 

"  Her  patches  are  of  every  cut, 
For  pimples  or  for  scars. 
Here's  all  the  wandering  planets'  signs 
And  some  of  the  fixed  stars; 
Already  gummed  to  make  them  stick 
They  need  no  other  sky." 

A  seventeenth  century  author  gives  the  following  concise  definition 
of  the  muff,  which  figures  so  frequently  in  English  portraits  of  the 
day:  "A  fur  worn  in  winter  in  which  to  put  the  hands  to  keep 
them  warm.  Muffs  were  formerly  only  for  women:  at  the  present 
day  they  are  carried  by  men.  The  finest  muffs  are  made  of  martin, 
the  common  of  miniver.  The  country  muffs  of  the  cavaliers  are  made 
of  otter  and  of  tiger.  A  woman  puts  her  nose  in  her  muff  to  hide 
herself.  A  muff-dog  is  a  little  dog  which  ladies  can  carry  in  their 
muffs."  It  is  not  easy  to  imagine  the  pioneer  men  of  the  Colonies 
carrying  muffs;  in  fact  even  a  Patroon  would  have  found  one  sadly 

*  Book  of  Costume  by  a  Lady  of  Rank.     (London,  1846.) 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  63 

inconvenient  in  the  days  when  "a  musket  with  six  shoots  of  powder" 
was  his  constant  companion.  Towards  the  end  of  the  century,  how- 
ever, when  the  peaceful  days  of  William  and  Mary's  reign  afforded 
a  life  of  comparative  luxury,  the  fashion  at  its  height  in  England 
was  followed  in  the  Colonies  by  men  as  well  as  by  women,  with  whom 
muffs  have  ever  been  deservedly  popular  (Figure  36). 

Mr.  Fiske,  speaking  of  Virginia  hospitality  at  that  early  date, 
suggests  that  "in  the  time  of  Bacon's  Rebellion  (1675)  your  host 
would  have  appeared,  perhaps,  in  a  coat  and  breeches  of  olive 
plush  or  d^rk  red  broadcloth,  richly  embroidered  waistcoat,  shirt 
of  holland,'  long  silk  stockings,  silver  buttons  and  shoe  buckles,  I  u^ 
lace  ruffles  about  neck  and  wrists,  and  his  head  encumbered  with  a 
flowing  wig;  while  the  lady  of  the  house  might  have  worn  a  crimson 
satin  bodice  trimmed  with  point-lace,  a  black  tabby  petticoat,  and  ^ 
silk  hose  with  shoes  of  fine  leather,  gallooned.  Her  lace  head-dress 
would  be  secured  with  a  gold  bodkin,  and  she  would  be  likely  to 
wear  earrings,  a  pearl  necklace,  finger  rings  set  with  rubies  or  dia- 
monds, and  to  carry  a  fan." 

This  description  may  be  very  nearly  correct  of  the  man's  dress 
in  regard  to  colour  and  material,  but  the  style  of  the  coat  described 
is  of  a  later  period.  To  the  feminine  mind  a  few  items  are  needed  to 
complete  the  costume  of  the  lady.  For  instance,  all  the  pictures  of 
the  time  show  the  bodice  and  skirt  of  the  same  material,  up  to  the 
reign  of  James  II ;  after  that  a  long  skirt  still  matching  the  bodice 
was  looped  over  a  gay  petticoat  sometimes  richly  trimmed  with 
lace  or  gimp  (Figures  i,  19,  20,  21,  22,  24,  32,  33,  35,  and  36). 

The  Barbadoes  and  Carolina  settlements  date  from  1650.  The 
Colonists  of  these  Southern  ports,  being  mostly  Cavaliers  who  had 
seen  something  of  Court  life  in  London,  very  soon  surrounded  them- 
selves with  comforts  and  luxuries  unknown  to  the  first-comers  in  Vir- 
ginia. We  read  that  the  Barbadoes  Colony  resembled  a  litde  Court 
in  itself,  the  planters  maintaining  large  households  and  many  slaves. 

*  Old  Virginia  and  Her  Neighbours. 


64  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

There  was  frequent  intercourse  with  the  settlements  in  Virginia  and 
Maryland.  The  brocade  gown  in  the  frontispiece  was  the  property  of  v 
an  English  lady  who  came  to  Barbadoes  when  James  II  was  on  the 
throne  of  England.  Figure  104  depicts  a  gentleman  of  the  same  date. 
The  following  description  of  the  articles  of  dress  is  quoted  from 
Mr.  Bruce's  "Economic  History  of  Virginia,"  but  may  be  reasonably 
considered  typical  of  all  English  Colonies  in  America  from  1660  to  1700: 
— *^'The  shirt  was  made  of  holland,  blue  linen,  lockram,  dowlas 
and  canvas,  according  to  the  quality  desired;  holland  representing 
the  most  costly  and  canvas  the  least  expensive.  The  buttons  used 
on  the  shirt  were  either  of  silver  or  pewter,  and  in  many  cases  were 
carefully  gilded. 

— "The  stockings  were  either  of  silk,  woolen  or  cotton  thread, 
worsted  or  yarn.  The  shoes  worn  by  men  were  made  of  ordinary 
leather,  or  they  were  of  the  sort  known  as  French  Falls  (Figures  19, 
51,  53,  and  55).  The  shoe  buckles  were  manufactured  of  brass, 
steel  or  silver.  There  are  many  references  to  boots,  the  popular 
footwear  of  the  planters,  who  were  accustomed  to  pass  much  of 
their  time  on  horseback  (Figures  50,  54,  and  57). 

"""^The  periwig  was  worn  in  the  latter  part  of  the  century  (Figures 
134,  135,  140,  and  141).  In  1689  William  Byrd  forwarded  one  to 
his  merchant  in  London  with  instructions  to  have  it  altered. 
'^""The  covering  for  the  heads  of  men  consisted  of  the  Monrnouth 
cap,  the  felt,  the  beaver  or  castor,  and  the  straw  hat,  occasionally 
with  a  steeple  crown. 

""^  "The  neck-cloth,  or  cravat,  was  of  blue  linen,  calico,  dowlas, 
■muslin  or  the  finest  holland.  The  band  or  falling  collar  was  made 
either  of  linen  or  lace,  in  keeping  with  the  character  of  the  suit 
(Figures  16  and  82). 

^  "The  material  of  the  coat  ranged  from  broadcloth,  camlet, 
fustian,  drugget,  and  serge,  which  became  less  expensive  with  the 
progress  of  the  century,  to  cotton,  kersey,  frieze,  canvas,  and  buckskin. 


65 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  67 

When  of  broadcloth,  it  was  lined  with  calico  or  coarse  linen.  There 
are  numerous  references  to  the  stuff  coat,  and  the  smock,  and  to  the 
serge  or  linen  jacket  (Figure  48). 

—-"The  outer  garment  used  in  riding  was  usually  a  cloak  of  camlet. 
The  buttons  of  the  coat  and  waistcoat  were  made  of  various  materials, 
from  silk  thread  to  brass  and  pewter,  silver,  gimp  and  mohair. 

. ,   "Over   the   ordinary  coat,  a  great-coat  of   frieze   was   worn   in 

cold  weather,  or,  on  special  occasions,  a  substitute  was  found  in  a 
cloak  of  blue  or  scarlet  silk. 

—  "Waistcoats  in  1679  were  made  of  dimity,  cotton  or  drugget,  flannel 
or  penistone,  of  a  great  variety  of  colours,  white,  black,  and  blue  being 
the  most  popular. 

—  "The  breeches  for  dress  occasions  were  of  plush  or  broadcloth; 
for  ordinary  wear,  of  linen,  common  ticking,  canvas  or  leather. 
There  are  references  in  inventories  of  the  period  to  serge  breeches, 
lined  with  linen  or  worsted,  with  thread  buttons,  and  also  to  cal- 
limanco  breeches  with  hair  buttons.  Occasionally  the  whole  suit  was 
of  plush,  broadcloth,  kersey  or  canvas,  or  the  coat  was  made  of 
drugget,  and  the  waistcoat  and  breeches  of  stufE  cloth.  Olive  col- 
oured suits  were  very  popular. 

=,—  "Handkerchiefs  were  of  silk,  lace,  or  blue  linen.  Gloves  were 
made  of  yarn,  or  of  tanned  ox-,  lamb-,  buck-,  dog-,  or  sheepskin,  and 
were  of  local  manufacture.  The  hands  of  children  were  kept  warm 
by  mittens." 

—  It  was  the  habit  of  the  wealthy  planters  to  have  even  their  plainest 
and  simplest  articles  of  clothing  made  in  England.  Mr.  Fitzhugh, 
of  Stafford  County,  Virginia,  instructed  his  merchant  in  London,  in 
1697,  to  send  him  two  suits  of  an  ordinary  character,  one  for  use  in 
winter  and  the  other  in  summer.  The  exact  measurements  for  the 
shoes  and  stockings  needed  were  to  be  guessed  at,  and  the  only 
direction  given  as  to  the  two  hats  ordered  was  that  they  should 
be  of  the  largest  size. 
The  lists  sent  out  to  England  show  that  costly  garments  were 


68 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


\ 


imported  for  the  planters'  wives.  Many  of  the  gowns  worn  in  Vir- 
ginia must  have  been  as  handsome  as  those  worn  by  the  women  of 
the  same  class  in  England.  There  are  numerous  allusions  to  silk 
and  flowered  gowns,  to  bodices  of  velvet  brocade  and  satin,  trimmed 
with  lace  (Figures  32  and  49). 

—^Petticoats  were  of  serge,  flannel,  or  tabby,  a  kind  of  coloured 
silk  cloth.  They  were  also  made  of  printed  linen  or  dimity  and 
trimmed  with  silk  or  silver  lace.     An  outfit  of  gown,  petticoat,  and 

green  stockings,  composed  of 
woolen  materials,  is  frequently 
mentioned  in  the  inventories. 
"  For  outdoor  wear,  women  of 
all  ranks  wore  hoods  and  mantles. 
The  hoods  were  made  of  camlet, 
sarsenet,  or  velvet,  often  trimmed 
with  fur  (Figures  34,  35,  36,  40, 
67,  69,  128,  129,  and  144).  The 
mantles  of  silk  (Figure  128)  or 
tippets  of  fur  (Figures  47,  69, 
and  129)  were  worn  over  the 
shoulders. 

Hose  varied  very  much  in 
colour,  being  white,  scarlet,  or 
black.  They  were  held  in  place 
by  silk  garters. 

Shoes  of  the  finest  quality  were  either  laced  or  gallooned  (Figure 
36).     Wooden  shoes  with  wooden  heels  were  also  worn. 

Aprons  were  of  muslin,  silk,  serge,  and  blue  duffel  (Figures  35 
and  144).  Small  fans,  many  of  which  were  richly  ornamented,  were 
favourite  items  of  dress  in  the  toilets  of  planters'  wives  (Figure  20), 
and  silver  and  gilt  stomachers  were  not  unknown.  Perfumed  powders 
were  imported  and  used  in  the  English  Colonies. 


T^.OTnfcin  de  Hooftflft.  J6/3. 

Figure  34. 
Back  View  of  Outdoor  Dress  (from  a  Con- 
temporary Print). 


f: 


r   < 


-■>,Was^tif»»i!«il!SS^«»B?^ 


69 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  71 

About  1661,  we  are  told,  a  young  English  lady  set  out  for  Vir- 
ginia, furnished  with  the  following  articles  of  clothing: 

"A  scarf,  white  sarsenet  and  a  ducape  hood,  a  white  flannel  petti- 
coat, two  green  aprons,  three  pairs  of  gloves,  a  long  riding  scarf,  a 
mask  and  a  pair  of  shoes." 

"The  wardrobe  of  a  rich  planter's  wife  in  Virginia,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Willoughby,  consisted  of  a  red,  a  blue,  and  a  black  silk  petticoat,  a 
petticoat  of  India  silk  and  a  worsted  prunella,  a  striped  linen  and  a  ,  i^X 
calico  petticoat,  a  black  silk  gown,  a  scarlet  waistcoat  with  silver 
lace,  a  white  knit  waistcoat,  a  striped  stuff  jacket,  a  worsted  pru- 
nella mantle,  a  sky-coloured  satin  bodice,  a  pair  of  red  paragon 
bodices,  three  fine  and  three  coarse  hoUand  aprons,  seven  handker- 
chiefs, and  two  hoods.  The  whole  was  valued  at  fourteen  pounds 
and  nineteen  shillings. 

"The  wardrobe  of  another  Virginia  lady,  Mrs.  Frances  Pritchard, 
was  quite  as  extensive.  It  included  an  olive-coloured  silk  petti- 
coat, petticoats  of  silver  and  flowered  tabby,  of  velvet,  and  of  white 
striped  dimity,  a  printed  calico  gown  lined  with  blue  silk,  a  white 
striped  dimity,  a  black  silk  waistcoat,  a  pair  of  scarlet  sleeves,  a 
pair  of  holland  sleeves  with  ruffles,  a  Flanders  lace  band,  one 
cambric  and  three  holland  aprons,  five  cambric  handkerchiefs,  and 
I  several  pairs  of  green  stockings."* 

—  Aprons  were  at  least  on  one  occasion  conspicuous  articles  of  dress. 
Although  some  historians  discredit  the  episode,  in  a  history  of  cos- 
tume we  can  hardly  omit  the  story  of  Bacon's  very  ungallant  behav- 
iour to  the  ladies  of  Jamestown,  whom  he  compelled  to  stand  in  a 
white-aproned  row  to  screen  his  men  while  they  worked  on  the  en- 
trenchments, as  a  protection  from  the  Burgesses,  who  could  not  shoot 
without  injury  to  the  women.'  We  may  at  least  safely  conclude  that 
every  woman  of  consequence  was  expected  to  have  a  white  apron 
in  her  wardrobe. 

*  Bruce's  Economic  History  of  Virginia. 


72  .  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

s=-The  favourite  ornaments  of  women  at  this  time  were  pearl  neck- 
laces, gold  pendants  and  earrings,  and  rings  of  various  kinds.  It 
was  customary  to  leave  mourning  rings  to  a  large  number  of  relatives 
and  friends.  One  lady,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Digges,  in  her  will  desired 
that  eight  should  be  distributed  among  the  members  of  her  intimate 
circle.  A  gentleman  of  Middlesex  bequeathed  twenty-five  pounds 
sterling  for  the  purchase  of  rings  of  the  same  character;  sixteen 
pounds  of  this  sum  were  to  be  expended  in  such  as  would  cost  one 
guinea  apiece. 

A  rich  planter  of  Lower  Norfolk  County,  at  his  death,  was  in 
possession  of  "a  sapphire  set  in  gold,  one  ring  with  a  blue  stone, 
another  with  a  green  stone,  and  another  still  with  a  yellow  stone, 
two  hollow  wrought  rings,  a  diamond  ring  with  several  sparks,  a 
mourning  ring,  a  beryl  set  in  silver,  and  an  amber  necklace." 

As  real  pearls  were  very  costly,  a  Frenchman,  named  Jacques, 
invented  a  substitute  for  them  in  this  century  (seventeenth).  He 
had  observed  that  the  water  in  which  small  fish,  called  "ablettes," 
had  been  washed,  contained  a  quantity  of  silvery  particles,  and  by 
filling  hollow  blown  glass  beads  with  this  sediment,  he  succeeded  in 
producing  an  admirable  imitation ;  but  about  twenty  thousand  white- 
bait were  required  to  supply  one  pound  of  this  essence  of  pearls.* 
"•- —  Small  gold  and  silver  bodkins  were  used  by  the  wives  of  the 
planters  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  head-dress  in  place. 
^^''-'  Plantation  life,  even  toward  the  end  of  the  century,  gave  but  few 
opportunities  for  display.  There  were  no  towns  where,  as  at  Wil- 
liamsburg in  the  following  century,  the  leading  families  might  gather 
at  certain  seasons  and  show  off  their  fashionable  costumes.  The 
church  of  the  parish  was  the  social  centre  of  each  community.  It 
was  there  that  fine  clothes  could  be  exhibited  on  Sundays,  while  at 
weddings  and  other  festal  meetings,  the  most  costly  suits  and  dresses 
were  worn. 

*  History  of  Fashion  in  France. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


73 


The  store,  which  every  planter  of  importance  maintained  on  his 
place,  was  a  notable  feature  of  colonial  life.  A  list  of  the  articles 
for  sale  in  one  of  those  rural  establishments  is  almost  as  varied  as 
the  advertisement  of  one  of  our  city  department  stores  to-day.  For 
instance,  the  Hubbard  store  in  York  County  in  1667  contained: 

Lockram,  canvas,  dowlas,  Scotch  cloth,  blue  linen,  oznaburg, 
cotton,  holland  serge,  kersey  and  flannel  in  bales,  full  suits  for  adults 
and  youths;  bodices,  hoods  and  laces 
for  women ;  shoes,  gloves,  hose,  cravats, 
handkerchiefs,  hats  and  other  articles 
of  dress.  Hammers,  hatchets,  chisels, 
augers,  locks,  staples,  nails,  sickles,  bel- 
lows, saws,  knives,  flesh  forks,  por- 
ringers, saucepans,  frying-pans,  grid- 
irons, tongs,  shovels,  hoes,  iron-pots, 
tables,  physic,  wool-cards,  gimlets,  com- 
passes, needles,  stirrups,  looking-glasses, 
candlesticks,  candles,  funnels,  25  pounds 
of  raisins,  100  gallons  of  brandy,  20  gal- 
lons of  wine,  10  gallons  of  aqua  vitce. 

The  contents  of  this  store  was 
valued  at  ;^6i4  sterling,  a  sum  which 
represented  about  $15,000  in  our  present 
currency. 

Mr.  Fiske  says:  "One  can  imagine  how  dazzling  to  the  youthful 
eyes  must  have  been  the  miscellaneous  variety  of  desirable  things. 
Not  only  were  the  manufactured  articles  pretty  sure  to  have  come 
from  England,  but  everything  else,  to  be  saleable,  must  be  labelled 
English,  insomuch  that  fanciers  used  to  sell  the  songsters  unknown 
to  England,  if  they  sang  particularly  well,  as  English  mocking  birds." 

It  was  the  habit  of  the  early  Virginia  planters  from  time  to  time 
to  purchase  silver  plate  in  England.     This  they  looked  upon  as  a 


Figure  37. 
A  Peddler  (from  an  Old  Print). 


74 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


M^ 


sort  of  wealth  which  could  never  lose  its  value,  and  pieces  of  such 
plate  engraved  with  the  crest  of  the  original  owner,  have  in  many 
cases  been  handed  down  as  family  heirlooms,  even  to  the  present 
day.  Candlesticks  and  snuffers,  castors  for  sugar,  pepper,  and 
mustard,  saltcellars  and  beakers  are  frequently  mentioned  in  the 
wills  of  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

In  one  instance  dishes  weighing  eighty  and  ninety  ounces  apiece 
and   a   case  containing   a   dozen  silver-hafted   knives  and  a  dozen 

silver-hafted  forks  are  specified.  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Digges  bequeathed  two  hundred  and  sixty 
ounces  of  silver  plate  to  her  friends  and  rela- 
tives. Specimens  of  old  silver,  etc.,  are  shown 
in  Figure  159. 

We  read  also  of  the  following  musical 
instruments  among  the  household  goods  of  the 
richer  planters:  Virginals,  hand-lyres,  cornets, 
violins,  recorders,  flutes,  and  hautboys. 

In  the  kitchen,  various  utensils  were  in  use, 
being  made  of  brass,  tin,  pewter,  wood,  clay,  and  copper. 

Another  feature  of  colonial  life  was  the  itinerant  peddler,  who 
travelled  from  plantation  to  plantation  carrying  the  latest  fashions 
and,  oftentimes,  the  latest  piece  of  gossip.  He  was  always  sure  of 
a  welcome  from  the  people  of  every  class,  from  the  mistress  and 
master  at  the  hall  fireside  to  the  maids  and  men  in  the  servants' 
quarters,  for  his  pack  contained,  like  that  of  Autolycus,  wares  to 
suit  all  needs  and  tastes. 


Figure  37^. 
Drawn  from  an  Origi- 
nal Monmouth  Cap  at  the 
Rolls     Hall,      Monmouth, 
Wales. 


"  Lawn  as  white  as  driven  snow; 
Cypress  black  as  e'er  was  crow ; 
Gloves  as  sweet  as  damask  roses; 
Masks  for  faces  and  for  noses ; 

Pins  and  poking-sticks  of  steel; 

What  maids  lack  from  head  to  heel; 

Come  buy  of  me,  come;  come  buy,  come  buy; 

Buy  lads,  or  else  your  lasses  cry:  come,  buy." 


Bugle-bracelet,  necklace-amber, 
Perfume  for  a  lady's  chamber; 
Golden  quoifs  and  stomachers, 
For  my  lads  to  give  their  dears; 


75 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  77 

There  is  not  much  to  be  said  about  dress  among  the  American 
Indians.  However,  the  costume  of  the  Queen  of  the  Pamunkeys,  who 
accompanied  her  husband,  Totto  Potto  Moi,  to  a  conference  with 
the  Enghsh  in  Virginia,  and  who  was  a  lady  of  some  distinction,  is 
worthy  of  description.  She  wore  a  turban  made  of  a  wide  plait 
of  black  and  white  wampum  and  her  robe  was  of  deerskin,  with 
the  hair  on  the  outside,  ornamented  (from  the  shoulders  to  the  feet) 
with  a  twisted  fringe  six  inches  deep.  An  effective  but  rather  an  un- 
comfortable dress  for  the  season,  as  this  conference  took  place  in 
May  (1677). 

The  King  of  the  Pamunkeys  was  afterward  killed  in  fighting  with 
the  English  under  Colonel  Edward  Hill.  His  wife,  the  Queen,  made 
an  appeal  to  the  House  of  Burgesses,  whereupon  Charles  II  sent  to 
her,  in  recognition  of  her  husband's  services,  a  crown  consisting  of 
a  red  velvet  cap  with  a  silver  plate  as  a  frontlet,  to  which  were 
attached  many  chains.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1800, 
the  Pamunkeys  determined  to  move  westward,  and,  being  under 
stress  of  weather,  and,  also,  it  is  supposed,  lacking  food,  came  to 
Mr.  Arthur  Morson,  who  gave  them  shelter  and  protection  for  a  time 
on  his  plantation.  Upon  leaving,  they  expressed  their  gratitude 
by  presenting  their  benefactor  with  this  crown,  their  greatest  treas- 
ure, which  still  existed  in  the  original  shape.  The  cap  becoming  in 
time  moth-eaten,  the  chains  lost  and  scattered,  the  Administrator 
of  the  Morson  Estate  sold  the  frontlet  to  the  Association  for  the 
Preservation  of  Virginia  Antiquities,  and  it  was  placed  in  the  Histori- 
cal Society's  rooms  for  safe-keeping  (Figure  27). 

For  descriptions  and  pictures  of  the  native  Indians,  the  reader 
is  referred  to  Schoolcraft's  exhaustive  history,  which  illustrates  the 
life  and  customs  of  the  various  tribes  in  North  America  from  the 
landing  of  Columbus  to  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century.* 

*  History  of  the  Indian  Tribes  of  the  United  States,  by  Henry  Rowe  Schoolcraft,  LL.D. 


THE  ENGLISH  COLONIES 


IN 


MASSACHUSETTS,  CONNECTICUT,   NEW 

HAMPSHIRE,   MAINE,   AND 

RHODE   ISLAND 

1620-1700 

During  the  Reigns  of 

James  I,  Charles  I,  Charles  II,  James  II,  and 

William  and   Mary 


'A  DOSEN  OF  POINTS,  SENT  BY  A  GENTLEWOMAN  TO   HER   LOVER  AS  A  NEWE 

YEARE'S  Gifte." 

As  I  on  a  New  Yeare's  day- 
Did  walcke  amidst  the  streate, 
My  restless  eyes  for  you  my  hart, 

Did  seke  a  fayring  mete. 
I  sercht  throughout  the  faire 

But  nothing  could  I  fynde: 
No,  no,  of  all  ther  was  not  one 

That  would  content  my  mynde. 
But  all  the  boothes  were  filled 

With  fancyes  fond  attyre, 
And  trifling  toyes  were  set  to  sale, 

For  them  that  would  requyre. 
Then  to  myself  quoth  I, 

What  meanes  theise  childish  knacks; 
Is  all  the  faire  for  children  made. 

Or  fooles  that  babies  lackes  ? 
Are  theise  the  goodly  gifts, 

The  new  yeare  to  beginne; 
Which  friends  present  unto  their  friends, 

Their  fayth  and  love  to  winne? 
I  se  I  came  in  vayne. 

My  labour  ail  is  lost, 
I  will  departe  and  kepe  my  purse, 

From  making  any  cost. 
But  se  my  happy  chaunce, 

Whilest  I  did  hast  away; 
Dame  Vertue  doth  display  her  booth, 

My  hasty  feete  to  stay. 
I  joyfuU  of  the  sight, 

Did  preace  unto  the  place, 
To  se  the  tricke  and  trimmed  tent, 

For  such  a  ladye's  grace. 
And  after  I  had  viewed 

Eache  thing  within  her  seate, 
8i 


82  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

I  found  a  knotte  of  peerlesse  points 

Beset  with  posyes  neate. 
Theise  points  in  number  twelve, 

Did  shew  themselves  to  be: 
The  sence  whereof  by  poet's  skil, 

I  will  declare  to  the. 

1.  With  meate  before  the  set, 

Suffice  but  nature's  scant; 

2.  Be  sure  thy  tongue  at  table  tyme, 

Noe  sober  talke  doe  want. 

3.  Let  word,  let  thought,  and  dede. 

In  honest  wise  agree: 

4.  And  loke  the  pore  in  tyme  of  nede, 

Thy  helping  hand  may  see. 

5.  When  foes  invade  the  realme. 

Then  shew  thy  might  and  strength: 

6.  Tell  truth  in  place  wher  thou  dost  come 

For  falshed  failes  at  length. 

7.  Be  fast  and  firm  to  friende. 

As  thou  wouldst  him  to  be: 

8.  Be  shamefast  there  wher  shamefuU  dedes 

Be  offred  unto  the. 

9.  Weare  not  suche  costly  clothes. 

As  are  not  for  thy  state: 

10.  Heare  eache  man's  cause  as  thoh  he  wer 

In  wealth  thine  equall  mate. 

11.  In  place  thy  maners  shewe. 

In  right  and  comly  wyse: 
^    .12.  From  the  let  p'eace  and  quietnesse, 
*And  wars  from  others  ryse. 

With  these  twelve  vertuous  points, 

Se  thou  do  tye  thee  round. 
And  lyke  and  love  this  simple  gifte, 

Till  better  may  be  found. 
Yet  one  point  thou  dost  lacke. 

To  tye  thy  hose  before: 
Love  me  as  I  love  the,  and  shall 

From  hence  for  evermore. 

— Farwell, 


The   English  in  Massachusetts,  Connect- 
icut, New   Hampshire,   Maine, 
and   Rhode   Island 


I 620-1 700 


Figure  43. 
A  Puritan  Dame. 


Two  carpenters 

One  fustian  worker  and  silk  dyer 

One  lady's  maid 

Two  printers  and  publishers 

One  tailor 


N  1620  came  the  first  English  settlers  to  Massa- 
chusetts— the  Pilgrims,  or  Separatists,  as  they 
are  sometimes  called,  in  their  sombre  coloured 
garments,  of  the  same  shapes  and  fashions, 
however,  as  those  in  vogue  at  the  gay  court  of 
Charles  I,  the  superfluous  trimmings,  knots  of 
bright  ribbon,  rich  laces  and  feathers,  being 
conspicuously  absent. 

In  this  company  of  one  hundred  and  four 
Pilgrims,  which  arrived  at  Plymouth,  Decem- 
ber 20,  1620,  were  the  following: 

One  wool-carder 
One  cooper 
One  merchant 
Four  seamen 


One  soldier 
Two  tradesmen 


Ten  adult  servants 
One  lay  reader 
One  hatter 
One  physician 
One  smith 


The  Pilgrims,  like  the  Roundheads  in  England,  were  minded 
to  discourage  extravagance,  and  made  strict  laws  to  control  fashions 
of  dress.  Three  years  later  they  were  followed  by  the  Puritans  of 
the  Massachusetts  Bay  Company,  who,  according  to  Weedon,  settled 
first  at  Cape  Ann  and  afterward  removed  to  Salem.  This  Company 
was  a  large  and  rich  organization  and  provided  each  man  with  a 
suitable  outfit: 

83 


84  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

Four  pairs  of  shoes  A  green  cotton  waistcoat 

Four  pairs  of  stockings  A  leather  belt 

A  pair  of  Norwich  gaiters  A  woolen  cap 

Four  shirts  A  black  hat 

Two  suits  of  doublet  and  hose  of  Two  red  knit  caps 

leather  lined  with  oil  skin  Two  pairs  of  gloves 

A  woolen  suit  lined  with  leather  A  mandillion  or  cloak  lined  with  cotton 
Four  bands  and  an  extra  pair  of  breeches  were 

Two  handkerchiefs  allotted  each  man  (Figure  44). 

There  were  many  women  in  this  band  of  settlers,  but  no  men- 
tion is  made  of  their  garments. 

This  outfit  was  much  more  liberal  than  that  provided  by  the 
Virginia  Company,  but  the  climate  of  Massachusetts  was  bleak  and 
cold  compared  with  that  of  Virginia,  although  the  air  apparently  agreed 
with  Francis  Higginson,  who  wrote  the  following  letter  from  Boston 
in  1629: 

"But  since  I  came  hither  on  this  voyage  I  thank  God  I  have  had 
perfect  health  and  I,  that  have  not  gone  without  a  cap  for  many  years 
together  neither  durst  leave  off  the  same,  have  now  cast  away  my  cap, 
and  do  wear  none  at  all  in  the  day  time;  and  whereas  beforetime 
I  clothed  myself  with  double  clothes  and  thick  waistcoats  to  keep  me 
warm  even  in  summer  time,  I  do  now  go  as  thin  clad  as  any,  only 
wearing  a  light  stuff  cassock  upon  my  shirt  and  stuff  breeches  of  one 
thickness  without  lining." 

This  company  of  Puritans,  which  numbered  about  two  hundred, 
eventually  founded  Boston  and  other  places  in  the  neighbourhood: 
Charlestown,  Watertown,  Dorchester,  Roxbury,  Mystic,  Lynn,  etc. 
They  kept  in  touch  with  the  Mother  Country  and  imported  many 
comforts,  which  the  Plymouth  Bay  Company  eschewed. 

About  1630  a  body  of  this  Massachusetts  Bay  Company,  com- 
posed chiefly  of  yeomen  of  Dorsetshire,  England,  settled  in  Connect- 
icut. They  were  mostly  Church  of  England  people  of  the  repre- 
sentative Anglo-Saxon  type,  and  in  their  laws  we  find  few  restrictions 
concerning  dress,  although  at  the  dawn  of  the  Revolution  the  people 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


85 


of  Connecticut  were  among  the  first  of  the  Colonists  to  renounce 
foreign  luxuries  and  augment  the  use  of  homemade  articles.  We 
read  that  "master-tailors  were, paid  12  pence,  inferior  8  pence  per 
day,  with  dyett." 

In  1634,  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Court  forbade 
the  purchase  of  "Any 
apparell,  either  woolen, 
silke,  or  lynnen  with  any 
lace  on  it,  silver,  golde, 
silk,  or  thread."  They 
shall  not  "make  or 
buy  slashed  clothes,  other 
than  one  slashe  in  each 
sleeve  and  another  in  the 
backe" ;  there  shall  be  no 
"cutt  works,  imbroid'd 
or  needle  work'd  capps, 
bands  &  Rayles;  no 
gold  or  silver  girdles,  hatt 
bands,  belts,  ruffs,  beaver 
hatts." 

In  1636  lace  was  for- 
bidden; only  the  binding 
of  a  small  edging  on 
linen  was  allowed. 

Points  were  the  usual  fastenings  in  use  during  the  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  centuries.  Sometimes  they  had  metal  tags  at  the  ends 
and  were  more  or  less  ornamental.  Frequent  mention  is  made  of 
them  by  Shakespeare: 

"Their  points  being  broken,  down  fell  their  hose;" 
"With  one  that  ties  his  points,"  etc. 


Figure  44. 
A  Puritan  Cloak  or  Mandillion  of  Black  Silk  with 
Small    Embroidered     Buttons.     The    original    garment 
from  which  the  drawing  is  taken  is  in  the   South  Ken- 
sington Museum,  London. 


86  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

Like  their  successors,  the  modern  suspenders,  they  were  often 
very  dainty  and  were  appropriately  given  as  love  tokens. 

Margaret  Winthrop,  in  a  letter  to  England  written  from  Massa- 
chusetts, gives  a  note  of  daily  wear:  "I  must  of  a  necessity  mike 
me  a  gown  to  wear  every  day  and  would  have  one  bought  me  of  good 
strong  black  stuff  and  Mr.  Smith  to  make  it  of  the  civilest  fashion 
now  in  use.  If  my  sister  Downing  would  please  to  give  him  some 
directions  about  it,  he  would  make  it  the  better."*  Slight  as  is  this 
note,  it  proves  that  Dame  Winthrop  was  not  indifferent  to  the  pre- 
vailing fashions,  and  we  know  that  English  gentlewomen  of  that 
time  were  dressed  as  in  Figures  21,  32,  33,  35,  and  36.  The  familiar 
portrait  of  Governor  Winthrop  in  a  ruff  and  long  hair  indicates  that 
he  had  not  adopted  the  dress  of  the  strict  Puritans  (Figure  93).  Un- 
fortunately, no  portrait  of  his  wife  has  been  handed  down  to  pos- 
terity, and  we  are  left  to  conjecture  that  the  dress  of  "good  strong 
black  stuff"  to  "wear  every  day"  was  made  of  durant,  something 
after  the  fashion  of  Figure  21,  or,  perhaps,  like  that  of  the  Puritan 
gentlewoman  in  the  initial  letter  of  this  chapter,  which  represents 
a  typical  Puritan  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Company. 

Abundant  evidence  of  the  various  styles  of  dress  of  English  women 
in  the  reigns  of  Charles  I  and  II  is  preserved  in  the  clever  sketches 
of  Hollar.     They  are  invaluable  to  the  historian. 

Wenceslaus  Hollar  (1607-1677)  went  from  Cologne  and  Antwerp 
to  London  in  the  train  of  the  Earl  of  Arundel,  English  Ambassador, 
in  1635,  and  was  appointed  teacher  of  drawing  to  the  young  Prince, 
afterwards  Charles  II.  A  volume  of  sketches  by  the  royal  pupil,  to 
which  Hollar  had  given  the  finishing  touches,  may  be  seen  among 
the  Harleian  manuscripts  at  the  British  Museum.  In  1640  ap- 
peared his  "Ornatus  Muliebris  Anglicanus,  or  the  Severall  Habits 
of  English  Women  from  the  Nobilitiee  to  the  Country  Women  as 
they  are  in  these  times." 

*  Margaret  Winthrop,  by  Mrs.  Earle. 


87 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  89 

In  1643  appeared  a  second  book,  ''Theatrum  Mulierum,"  in 
which  are  represented  the  various  styles  of  dress  in  the  leading 
nations  of  Europe.  On  the  accession  of  Charles  II,  Hollar  was 
appointed  His  Majesty's  Designer. 

His  books  are  now  very  rare.  Copies  may  be  seen  in  the  Library 
of  the  British  Museum,  but  I  do  not  know  of  any  in  a  public  library 
in  this  country.  The  "Theatrum  Mulierum"  shows  the  costumes 
of  the  women  of  Holland  in  the  seventeenth  century,  specimens  of 
which  are  given  in  Figures  106,  107,  no,  124,  and  126. 

In  the  Colony  at  Plymouth  a  manifesto  against  long  hair  was 
published,  in  which  it  was  called  an  impious  custom  and  a  shameful 
practice  for  any  man  who  had  the  least  care  of  his  soul  to  wear  long 
hair.    An  old  song  about  the  Roundhead  Puritans  runs  thus: 

"What  creature's  this?  with  his  short  hair. 
His  httle  band,  and  huge  long  ears, 
That  this  new  faith  has  founded  ? 
The  Puritans  were  never  such, 
The  Saints  themselves  had  ne'er  so  much — 
Oh  such  a  knave's  a  Roundhead." 

The  majority  of  the  Puritans,  however,  were  very  much  in  earnest 
on  the  subject  of  reform  in  dress,  and  it  has  been  said  they  expressed 
their  piety  not  only  in  the  choice  of  sombre  hues  and  simplicity  of 
cut,  but  even  worked  into  the  garments  religious  sayings  and  quota- 
tions from  Holy  Writ.  As  Fairholt  puts  it,  "they  literally  moral- 
ized dress." 

"Nay  Sir,  she  is  a  Puritan  at  her  needle  too, 
Indeed, 
She  works  religious  petticoats;  for  flowers 
She'll  make  church  histories:  besides 
My  smock  sleeves  have  such  holy  embroideries, 
And  are  so  learned,  that  I  fear  in  time 
All  my  apparel  will  be  quoted  by 
Some  pure  instructor."* 

*  The  Citye  Match.     Jasper  Mayne,  L.  1639. 


90 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


This  fashionable  custom  in  England  is  also  mentioned  by  Ben 
Jonson.  "The  linen  of  men  and  women  was  either  so  worked 
as  to  resemble  lace  or  was  ornamented  by  the  needle  into  repre- 
sentations of  fruit  and  flowers,  passages  of  history,"  etc.* 

The  inventories  of  about  1641 
show  that 


3  suits  of  clothes  were  valued  at  £^ 


3  coats                        " 

2  6s. 

I  hat  and  doublet     " 

3 

4  pairs  of  shoes        " 

9 

4      "      "    stockings" 

6 

I  stuff  petticoat  was 

6 

2  pairs  of  linen  breeches 

I  6s. 

In  1652  is  found  the  first 
mention  of  shoemaking,  at  Salem. 
It  was  about  this  time  that  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts 
passed  sumptuary  laws  to  repress 
the  spending  of  too  large  a  pro- 
portion of  income  on  apparel. 
Weedon  says:  ''When  the  Court 
was  not  occupied  with  grave 
business  of  State,  it  devoted  itself 
to  correcting  morals  and  regulat- 
ing dress.  The  function  of  dress 
in  the  minds  of  the  anxious  Fathers  was  not  only  to  cover  and  protect 
people,  but  to  classify  and  arrange  them.  The  same  conserving 
prejudice  which  marked  their  treatment  of  labourers  and  apprentices 
controlled  their  notions  of  dress.  Social  prestige, .  rank,  caste,  and 
breeding  were  to  be  formulated  in  the  garments  of  the  wearer.  It 
was  not  only  that  the  precious  capital  of  the  community  was  wasted 
by  expensive  dressing,  but  the  well  ordered  ranks  of  society  were 

*  Every  Man  out  of  his  Humour. 


Figure  47. 
Typical  Winter  Costume  of  a  Lady  of  the 
Period,  1640. 


Figure  48. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  93 

jostled  and  disturbed  by  the  glitter  of  lace  and  the  show  of  silken 
hoods,  the  tramp  of  strong  boots." 

Mrs.  Lake,  who  came  over  with  the  Dorsetshire  Company  in 
1635,  sent  out  to  England  for  the  following  articles  for  the  furnishing 
of  the  new  household  of  her  daughter,  who  married  John  Gallup 
of  the  same  settlement  in  1645.  We  give  the  list  in  full  as  thor- 
oughly typical  of  the  time: 

"  A  peare  of  brasse  Andirons 
A  brasse  Kittell, 
2  grate  Chestes,  well  tnade, 
2  armed  Cheares  with  rushe  bottums, 

2  carven  Caisse  for  Bottels  wch  my  Cuzzen  Cooke  has  of  mine 
A  Warming  Pann, 
A  Big  Iron  Pott, 
6  Pewter  Plates 

2  Pewter  Platters, 

3  Pewter  Porringeres 

A  small  Stew  Pann  of  Copper 

A  peare  of  Brasse  and  a  peare  of  Silver  Candle-sticks  (of  goode  plate) 

A  Drippe  Panne 

A  Bedsteede  of  carven  Oake  (ye  one  in  wch  I  sleept  in  my  father's  house, 
with  ye  Vallances  and  Curtayns  and  Tapestry  Coverlid  belongynge 
&  ye  wch  my  sister  Breadcale  hath  in  charge  of  Mee) 

Duzzen  Napekins  of  fine  linen  damasque  & 
2  table  cloathes  of  ye  same.     Also  8  fine 

Holland  Pillowe  Beeres  and  4  ditto  sheetes. 

A  skellet, 

A  pestel  &  mortar 

A  few  Needels  of  different  sizes 

A  carpet  (that  is,  a  table  cover;  the  name  was  universally  applied  thus) 
of  goodly  stuff  and  colour,  aboute  2  Ell  longe. 

6  Table  knifes  of  ye  beste  Steal  with  such  handles  as  may  bee. 

Also  3  large  &  3  smal  Silvern  Spoones,  and  6  of  home." 

We  are  told  that  Mrs.  Lake  left  a  wardrobe  of  considerable  extent 
and  richness,  besides  a  goodly  list  of  linens  and  other  household 
treasures,  with  several  carved  chests  to  contain  them,  all  of  which  she 
bequeathed  to  friends  and  relatives:  "To  my  daughter  Martha 
Harris,"    she   says,  "I  give  my  tapestry  coverlid  and  all  my  other 


94 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


apparell  which  are  not  disposed  of  to  others  particularly,  and  I  give 
unto  her  my  mantel  and  after  her  decease,  to  all  her  children  as 
their  need  is."*  This  "mantel"  was  supposed  to  have  been  Russian 
sable,  even  then  as  costly  as  it  was  rare,  and  presumably  brought 
from  the  far  East,  perhaps  China. 

We  read  also  in  "Colonial  Days  and  Ways"  that  "all  the  better 
class  among  the  Colonists  seem  to  have  disproportionately  liberal  sup- 
plies of  'mantels  and  pettycotes'  of  velvet  or  brocade,  with  other  'gar- 
ments to  consort  therewith,'  but  this  was  not  due  so  much  to  vanity 
as  to  thrift,  the  best  being  literally  the  cheapest  in  the  days  when 
the  fine  fabrics  were  so  honestly  made  as  to  wear  for  decades  and 


Figure  50. 
Reign  of  Elizabeth, 
1595-1603  +  . 


Figure  51.  Figure  52. 

Reign  of  Charles  I,  1625  + 


Figure  I53.         Figure  54. 

During  the  Commonwealth, 

I 649-1 660. 


the  cost  of  carriage  was  the  same  for  a  coat  of  frieze  as  for  one  of 
velvet."  Mrs.  Smith  throws  a  new  light  on  the  subject,  which  also 
helps  us  to  understand  the  wills  and  inventories  in  which  these  beauti- 
ful old  stuffs  were  handed  down  as  family  heirlooms.  Fortunately 
for  this  book  of  costume,  some  Colonial  garments  have  been  pre- 
served in  their  original  fashion,  while,  of  course,  others  bear  the 
marks  of  many  alterations  to  suit  the  times. 

In  1638  an  order  was  passed  by  the  General  Court  of  Massa- 
chusetts : 

"No  garment  shall  be  made  with  short  sleeves,  and  such  as  have 
garments  already  made  with   short  sleeves  shall  not  wear  the  same 

*  Colonial  Days  and  Ways,  by  Helen  Evertson  Smith. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


95 


unless  they  cover  the  arm  to  the  wrist ;  and  hereafter  no  person  what- 
ever shall  make  any  garment  for  women  with  sleeves  more  than  half 
an  ell  wide." 

The  town  records  were  full  of  prosecutions,  acquittals,  and  con- 
victions for  offences  against  these  laws.  In  Salem  in  1652  "a  man 
was  presented  for  excess  of  bootes,  ribands,  gould  and  silver  laces, 
and  Ester  Jynks  for  wearing  silver  lace";  while  in  Newbury  in  1653 
"two  women  were  called  upon  to  pay  taxes  for  wearing  silken  hoods 
and  scarves,  but  were  discharged  on  proof  that  their  husbands  were 
worth  two  hundred  pounds  each." 

"John  Hutchins'  wife  was  also  discharged  upon  testimony  of 
her  being  brought  up  above  the 
ordinary  ranke."  "The  latter," 
observes. Weeden,  "is  an  interesting 
instance  showing  that  rank  as  well  as 
property  condoned  these  offences." 

Any  one  of  less  estate  than  two 
hundred  pounds  was  held  to  strict 
account  •  in  dress.  The  women 
offended  especially  by  wearing  silk 
and  tiffany  hoods;  but  they  also 
wore  broad-brimmed  hats  (Figure  43) 


Figure  55. 

Reign  of 

Charles  II, 

1660 -I- . 


Figure  56. 

Reign  of 

James  II, 

1685 +  . 


Figure  57. 
Reign  of 
William  III, 
1690  +  - 


Under  the  stiff  bodice  of  a 
gown  a  lady  wore  a  petticoat  either  of  woolen  stuff  or  of  rich  silk 
or  brocade.  The  ruff  had  given  place  to  a  broad  collar,  plain  or 
embroidered,  falling  over  the  shoulders  (Figures  20  and  2>s)'  y 

As  leather  was  much  used,  a  tannery  was  almost  the  first  industry  ^ 
started  in  every  settlement.  In  1676  the  price  of  shoes  was  regu- 
lated by  law.  "Five  pence  half  penny  a  size  for  all  pleyne  and 
wooden  heel'd  shoes,  and  above  seven  pence  half  penny  a  size  for  well 
wrought  'French  falls.'"  Wooden  heels  were  worn  all  through 
the  seventeenth  century.  Even  at  this  early  date,  Lynn,  Massachu- 
setts,  was   the   centre   for  the  manufacture  of   shoes,   which  were 


/ 


i 


96  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

usually  made  with  broad  straps  and  buckles;  women's  shoes  being 
of  neat  leather  or  woolen  cloth  and  occasionally  of  silk. 

During  the  seventeenth  century  leather  clothing  was  much  worn, 
especially  by  labourers  and  servants.  The  excellent  brain-tanned 
deerskin,  which  the  Indians  taught  the  Colonists  to  prepare,  served 
well  for  garments.  Hampshire  kerseys  were  used  for  common  wear. 
Monmouth  caps  and  red  knit  caps  are  mentioned  among  the  articles 
used  by  the  lower  classes,  and  the  mandillion,  or  over-garment, 
fastened  with  hooks  and  eyes,  is  frequently  spoken  of.  Irish  stock- 
ings, so  often  mentioned  in  this  century,  have  been  compared  to 
modern  socks,  but  they  were  of  cloth  and  were  very  warm.  While 
rich  apparel  is  noted  here  and  there,  in  spite  of  statute  law,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  great  majority  of  the  people  dressed  plainly.     Their 


X«L|. 


/6/0.-  /6/0.-  /6A0.        IbUi.        IbUJ.      Ihb3.-  IbZXr       l69Fr-- 

Fig.  58.  Fig.  59.  Fig.  60.     Fig.  61.     Fig.  62.    Fig.  63.      Fig.  64.       Fig.  65. 

frugality  and  abstinence  made  a  foundation  on  which  sumptuary 
statutes  could  be  based. 

Doublets  were  worn  by  both  sexes  ;  they  were  always  lined 
or  padded  for  extra  warmth  (Figure  31).  The  sleeves  were  often 
slashed  and  embroidered  extravagantly,  as  indicated  in  the  "re- 
straining acts"  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.  Falling  bands  at  the  neck 
were  very  common,  and  often  they  were  embroidered.  A  deep 
linen  collar  was  sometimes  preferred  in  place  of  the  bands. 

"  This  pretty  new  fashion  indulge  him  to  wear 
There's  no  law  in  bands,  I  may  venture  to  swear, 
But  they  set  ofif  an  old  fashion  face  I  declare. 
Which  nobody  can  deny,  deny,  which  nobody  can  deny." 

Shoes  were  ornamented  with  rosettes  (Figures  59  and  61).  A 
beaver  or  felt   hat   covered   the  head.    Embroidered   gloves  were 


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HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


99 


always  worn  with  full  dress,  the  flaps  of  the  gauntlets  being  richly 
figured  or  fringed  (Figures  72,  74,  75,  76,  and  77).  Swords  were 
suspended  from  embroidered  shoulder-belts.  Gold  and  silver  lace 
was  often  used  for  trimming. 

In  the  Massachusetts  Colony,  armour  was  provided  for  the  emi- 
grants. Bandoliers,  horn  flasks,  corselets,  and  pikes  are  mentioned 
frequently. 

In  an  old  book  called  an  "Abridgement  of  the  laws  in  force  and 
use  in  Her  Majesty's  (Queen  Anne)  Plantations  of  Virginia  (viz.)  of 
Jamaica,  New  England,  Barba- 
does,  New  York,  Maryland,  Caro- 
lina, etc.,  London  1709,"  will  be 
found  under  the  heading  "Ammu- 
nition, Or  Laws  Concerning  the 
Colonial  Militia":  "I.  an.  1662. 
Every  man  able  to  bear  arms  shall 
have  in  his  house  a  fixed  gun,  2  1. 
of  powder  and  8  1.  of  shot,  at 
least,  to  be  provided  by  the  Master 
of  the  Family,  under  the  Penalty 
of   being   fined    80  1.  of  tobacco. 

II.  an.  1666.     Every  County  shall 
be  empowered  by  their  By-Laws  to  make  such  provision  of  ammu- 
nition  at   the   county   charges   as   their   several   occasions   require. 

III.  Captains  of  foot  and  horse  shall  take  a  strict  account  of 
what  arms  are  wanting  and  represent  the  same  to  the  Colonel," 
etc.  This  affords  valuable  proof  of  the  familiarity  with  firearms 
expected  of  the  Colonists  in  everyday  life,  also  of  the  early  origin 
of  the  American  militia.  With  regard  to  the  latter  organization, 
we  read  under  the  date  of  1660  as  follows: 

"Every  person  neglecting  to  appear  at  the  Days  of  Exercising 
the  Militia  shall  be  fined  100  1.  of  Tobacco." 


Figure  70.  Figure  71. 

Cannons  or  Breeches  Fastenings  (from  an 

Old  Print,  1650). 


loo  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

"Ten  long  guns  or  muskets  with  one  Barrel  of  gun  powder  and 
Bullets  proportionable  shall  be  kept  in  each  garrison  as  a  Reserve 
and  Defence  for  the  same." 

"For  the  better  taking  alarms  upon  'the  approach  of  Indians  the 
frequent  shooting  of  guns  at  Drinkings  is  prohibited." 

"Six  shoots  of  powder  each  man  is  required  to  bring  with  him 
on  Training  Days  or  pay  a  fine.  The  latter  to  be  put  aside  for  the 
purchase  of  Drums  and  Colours." 

A  portrait  of  Sir  John  Leverett,  Governor  of  the  Massachusetts 
Colony  in  1673,  in  the  Essex  Institute  at  Salem,  depicts  a  buff 
coat  of  dressed  leather  with  metal  fastenings,  like  ornamental 
hooks  and  eyes,  down  the  front;  a  falling  collar  of  linen  tied  with 
little  tassels,  and  a  very  magnificent  pair  of  embroidered  gloves, 
which  Sir  John  is  holding  in  one  hand,  while  on  a  table  beside  him 
is  a  hat  ornamented  with  a  long  feather  (Figure  82).  Probably  the 
portrait  was  taken  when  he  was  a  Colonial  soldier,  for  history 
records  that  he  went  to  England  in  1644  and  took  the  side  of  the 
Parliament  against  the  King,  but  after  his  return  to  Boston  he  filled 
several  important  offices,  and  in  1676  was  magnanimously  knighted 
by  Charles  II  in  acknowledgment  of  his  services  to  the  New  England 
Colonies. 

/  The  women  of  New  England  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  were  well,  if  not  handsomely,  dressed.  Undoubtedly 
the  gentlewomen  of  that  time  had  brocades  and  silks  for  festive  occa- 
sions and  fur-trimmed  cloaks  and  hoods  for  the  cold  season,  but 
the  ordinary  dress  was  a  short  gown  of  camlet  over  a  homespun 
petticoat  with  a  long  white  apron  of  linen.  The  sleeves  of  the  gown 
were  supplemented  by  mittens  reaching  to  the  elbows  and  leaving 
a  part  of  the  fingers  and  thumbs  bare.  The  cloak  worn  at  that  time 
was  short,  with  a  hood  to  cover  the  head,  which  was  thrown  back  in 
meeting;  and  those  who  wore  hats  took  them  off.  The  matrons 
wore  caps  habitually  and  the  young  women  had  their  hair  curled 


Figure  74. 


Figure  77. 


Figure  75. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


103 


and  tied  back  with  a  ribbon  or  arranged  in  a  soft  coil  at  the  back, 
with  short  curls  on  the  forehead. 

Scarlet  robes  are  said  to  have  been  worn  by  the  judges  in  the 


Figure  78. 
A  Man  in  Buff -coat  and  Bandolier,  1620-1660. 


Massachusetts  Colony.     Mrs.  Earle  gives  a  picture  of  one  stated  to 
have  been  worn  by  Judge  Curwen,  of  Salem,  during  the  gruesome  witch 

6 


I04 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


trials,  but  the  garment  in  question  is  so  exactly  like  the  cloaks  worn 
by  the  women  of  the  Puritan  days  that  one  is  tempted  to  think  it  was 
borrowed  from  his  wife  for  these  solemn  occasions.  However,  scarlet 
was  a  favourite  colour  for  men  in  those  days,  and  a  very  romantic 
story  has  recently  been  written  by  Mrs.  Austin  about  the  red  riding 
cloak  worn  by  Governor  Bradford,  2d,  about  the  middle  of  the  seven- 
teenth century. 

Mourning  for  the  dead  was  attended  by  various  solemn  cere- 
monies in  the  Colonies. 
Judge  Sewall,  of  Mas- 
sachusetts (Figure  81), 
describes  minutely  the 
funeral  of  Lady  Andros, 
the  wife  of  the  Governor 
(Figure  97),  on  the  loth  of 
February,  1688,  to  which 
he  had  been  invited  by 
the  "Clark  of  the  South 
Company."  "It  took 
place  between  7  and  8 
P.  M.  probably.  The 
hearse,  surrounded  by 
torch  bearers,  was  drawn 
by  six  horses,  and  es- 
corted by  a  guard  of 
soldiers  from  the  Governour's  house  to  the  South  Meeting  House 
where  the  body  was  placed  before  the  pulpit,  with  six  mourning  women 
by  it.  There  was  a  great  noise  and  clamour  to  keep  the  people  out  of 
the  house,  which  was  made  light  with  candles  and  torches."  He  tells 
of  himself  that  he  went  home,  and  about  nine  o'clock  heard  the  bell 
tolled  again  for  the  funeral.  He  missed  the  sermon,  whether  pur- 
posely or  not  is  not  told,  but  knows  that  the  text  was  "Cry,  all  flesh 


Figure  79. 
Points    with    Aiglets 
Drawing    Together     a 
Slashed   Sleeve. 


Figure  80. 
Points     with     Aiglets     or 
Tags   Fastening  a  Buff-coat 
and    Sleeve   Together  (from 
an  Old  Print,  1650-1660). 


I05 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


107 


is  grass."  After  naming  a  number  of  the  people  who  were  present, 
he  remarks,  "Twas  warm  thawing  weather  and  the  wayes  extreame 
dirty.  No  volley  at  placing  the  body  in  the  tomb."  On  Saturday, 
February  nth,  another  entry  in  this  instructive  diary  reads:  "The 
next  day  the  mourning  cloths  of  the  pulpit  is  taken  off  and  given 
to  Mr.  Willard."  Frequent  mention  is  made  throughout  this  diary, 
and  others  of  the  time,  of  the  gloves,  scarves,  and  mourning  rings 
given  friends  and  relatives  at  funerals,  and  there  is  evidence  that  the 
general  custom  of  wearing  black  as  a  token  of  sorrow  was  followed 
throughout  the  Colonies,  the  women  wearing  gowns  and  hoods  of 


Figure  83.  Figure  84.  Figure  85.  Figure  86. 

Various  Forms  of  the  Buff  Coat. 


Figure  87. 


black  stuff  with  trimmings,  cuffs,  and  veils  of  crepe,  at  least  such 
was  the  ''customary  woe,"  but  it  was  observed  with  less  formality 
by  the  Non-Conformists  than  by  the  Orthodox  Church  people.  Little 
children  were  dressed  in  black  and  wore  black  ribbons  for  a  time, 
and  it  was  not  unusual  for  the  servants  of  a  household  to  be  dressed 
in  black  when  the  head  of  the  family  died:  as  in  nearly  every  other 
respect,  English  ways  and  English  customs  were  very  closely  fol- 
lowed throughout  the  Colonies  in  America.  In  the  Philadelphia 
Library  there  is  preserved,  among  many  other  interesting  relics  of 
the  past,  an  old  hatchment  formerly  used  in  the  Dickinson  family. 


io8 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


— probably  brought  from  England, — which  was  placed  over  the 
doorway  when  a  death  occurred  in  the  family.  Another  specimen 
is  also  to  be  seen  at  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia. 

The  portrait  of  a  widow  given  in  Figure  150  represents  Lady 
Mary  Fenwick,  in  high  widow's  cap  and  tippets,  black  dress  and 
veil,  in  one  hand  holding  a  portrait  of  her  husband,  Sir  John 
Fenwick,  who  by  an  act  of  attainder  was  beheaded  27th  of 
January,  1696,  without  a  trial,  for  conspiracy  in  favour  of  James  11. 
Lady  Fenwick  made  the  greatest  exertions  to  save  her  husband's 
life  and  became  an  object  of  much  interest  to  the  Jacobite  Party. 
The  cap  is  of  the  shape  known  as  the  ''commode"  in  William  and 
Mary's  reign  (Figure  ^S). 


162.0. 

1635. 

Figure  88. 

Figure  89, 

Gorgets. 

Figure  90. 


Though  the  Massachusetts  General  Court  admonished  men 
against  long  hair  and  inveighed  against  excess  in  apparel  in  1675, 
the  laws  in  this  direction  were  dropping  into  disuse  in  many  districts. 
In  the  same  year  the  grand  jury  threatened  the  selectmen  of  Ded- 
ham  with  prosecution  for  their  neglect  in  enforcing  the  sumptuary 
statutes.  These  worthy  burghers  did  not  relish  the  work  "of  strip- 
ping silken  hoods  and  ribbands  from  irate  dames  and  of  arraigning 
the  great  boots  of  dandies.  There  is  no  record  to  show  that  they 
heeded  the  mandate  of  the  grand  jury." 

The  inventories  in  Boston  prove  that  sumptuous  dress  was  in 
fashion  notwithstanding  the  written  laws  against  it.     Robert  Rich- 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  109 

bell,  in  1682,  leaves  two  silver  hilted  rapiers  and  a  belt  worth  ;^i2. 
His  wardrobe  contained  a  satin  coat  with  gold  flowers,  and  blue 
breeches,  £/\.\  a  stuff  suit  with  lace,  several  other  suits,  all  accom- 
panied by  seven  cravats  and  seven  pairs  of  ruffles  and  ribbons,  valued 
at  £t. 

Periwigs  came  into  fashion  at  the  Restoration,  1660.  Richbell 
must  have  vexed  poor  Judge  Sewall  sorely,  for  he  was  the  possessor 
of  three. 

We  know  that  silver  buttons  were  very  common  in  the  Colonies 
in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  gold  ones  were  also  used.  Captain 
Hudson,  whose  dress  was  modest  in  comparison  with  Richbell' s, 
had  two  suits  equipped  with  them.  In  a  trading  stock,  mention  is 
made  of  4  gross  of  silver  and  gold  buttons  valued  at  £3  12s. 
A  curiosity  of  the  time  was  "Beggars'  velvet,"  14  yards  worth  21s. 

The  long  periwigs  introduced  into  England  from  France  in  the 
latter  part  of  Charles  II's  reign  were  promptly  assumed  by  the  women 
of  fashion,  together  with  the  plumed  hats  of  the  same  period.  Pepys 
records  the  fact  thus: 

"Walking  in  the  gallery  of  Whitehall,  I  find  the  Ladies  of  Honour 
dressed  in  their  riding  garbs,  with  coats  and  doublets  with  deep 
skirts,  just  for  all  the  world  like  men's,  and  their  doublets  buttoned 
up  the  breast,  with  periwigs  and  hats  on,  that  only  for  a  long  petti- 
coat dragging  under  their  men's  coats,  no  body  would  take  them  for 
women  on  any  point  whatever,  which  was  an  odd  sight  and  a  sight 
that  did  not  please  me." 

About  1680,  the  long  straight  coats,  which  took  the  fickle 
fancy  of  Charles  II  for  a  time,  were  introduced  into  New  England. 
They  were  made  without  a  collar  and  were  worn  with  a  neck-cloth 
which  fastened  with  a  silver  buckle  under  the  hair  in  the  back. 
Specimens  of  this  fashion  are  given  in  Figures  137,  138,  photographed 
from  the  original  garments  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum.  They 
belonged   to   Sir  Thomas  Isham   (1657-1681),   third   baronet,   who 


no  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

was  born  at  Lamport  in  Nottinghamshire.  When  still  a  boy  he  wrote 
a  diary  in  Latin,  by  the  command  of  his  father,  which  gives  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  everyday  doings  of  a  family  of  the  period.  This  diary 
was  translated  and  privately  printed  (1875)  by  the  Rev.  Robert 
Isham,  rector  of  Lamport,  where  the  original  is  still  preserved.  Isham 
succeeded  to  the  Baronetcy  in  1679.  He  is  described  as  a  young 
gentleman  of  great  expectations.  Figure  137  represents  the  suit  of 
light  brocade  prepared  for  his  wedding,  which  he  never  wore,  as  he 
died  after  a  brief  illness  on  the  day  fixed  for  the  ceremony. 

Weedon  again  records:  "In  the  inventories  of  women,  house-linen 
generally  formed  an  important  part.  Mistress  Anne  Hibbins  in 
1656  had  relatively  more  of  the  luxuries  her  sex  cherishes  in  all  periods. 
A  gold  wedding  ring  at  i6s.,  a  ring  with  a  diamond  at  8s.,  a  'taffaty' 
cloak  at  {^2  los.,  a  black  satin  doublet  at  los.,  a  green  wrought  cup- 
board cloth  with  silk  fringe  at  15s.,  5  painted  callico  curtains  and 
valiants  at  ;^i  los.,  show  that  Anne  loved  the  things  hated  by  the 
Puritans. 

"In  William  Paine's  stock  in  1660  were  silk  wares  in  two  boxes 
at  ;;^3i  14s.  These  occasional  luxuries  stand  out  conspicuously. 
Usually  the  assorted  merchandise  of  the  traders  is  in  solid  wares 
and  goods  for  the  everyday  use  of  everyday  people.  The  women 
selected  them  carefully  and  conscientiously.  In  1647  one  writes: 
'She  have  three  peeces  of  stuf,  but  I  think  there  is  but  one  of  them 
yt  you  would  like  yrself .  It  is  pretty  sad  stuf,  but  it  have  a  thred  of 
white  in  it;   it  is  3  quarters  broad  and  ye  priz  is  5s.  6d  ye  yard.'  "* 

Towards  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century  we  note  a  tendency 
to  display  in  all  inventories  and  descriptions  left  by  the  wealthy 
colonists  of  New  England,  as  well  as  those  in  the  same  period  in 
Virginia,  Maryland,  and  the  Carolinas.  It  was  the  reign  of  William 
and  Mary  in  England,  and  the  Colonies  were  not  subject  to  any  form 
of  oppression.     Intercourse  between  the  two  countries  was  frequent, 

*  Weedon's  Economic  History  of  New  England. 


Figure  91. 


Figure  92. 


Figure  93. 


Figure  94. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  113 

and  every  ship  brought  over  comforts  and  luxuries,  also  fine  clothes 
made  by  fashionable  London  tailors,  wigs  from  the  popular  wig- 
makers,  etc.  It  is  quite  safe  to  conclude  that  fashions  in  the  Colonies 
were  never  more  than  a  year  behind  those  of  old  England. 

Children  in  the  New  England  Colonies,  as  elsewhere  at  that  time, 
were  dressed  as  much  like  their  parents  as  possible.  The  baby 
clothes  of  the  seventeenth  century  were  marvellous  specimens  of 
needlework.  The  earliest  garments  I  have  seen  are  the  christening 
blanket,  shirts,  and  mitts  said  to  have  been  worn  by  Governor  Brad- 
ford, of  Plymouth,  and  now  exhibited  at  Salem  in  the  Essex  Insti- 
tute. 

A  portrait  of  Robert  Gibbs,  aged  four  and  a  half,  painted  in  Bos- 
ton in  1670,  also  one  of  John  Quincy,  at  a  little  more  than  one  year 
of  age,  painted  in  1690,  show  the  long  hanging  sleeves  usually  worn 
by  children  under  ten  years  of  age  (Figure  39).  There  is  also  a  por- 
trait of  Jane  Bonner  at  the  age  of  eight,  painted  in  1700,  which 
looks  almost  like  a  diminutive  court  lady,  with  stiff  stomacher,  ruffles 
of  point-lace,  and  a  necklace  of  pearls;  in  one  hand  a  fan,  a  rose  in 
the  other.* 

New  England  by  this  time  included  New  Hampshire  and  Maine, 
settled  in  1623  by  an  English  Company  in  search  of  gold,  and  Rhode 
Island,  founded  by  Roger  Williams  in  1636. 

The  attitude  of  the  New  England  Colonists  towards  the  Mother 
Church  is  not  clearly  outlined  in  all  the  authorities  of  the  time;  and, 
in  order  to  prevent  anachronisms  in  costuming  a  story  of  that  period, 
it  may  be  well  to  explain  here  that  the  emigrants  who  came  over  in 
1630  under  Governor  John  Winthrop,  and  who  the  day  before  they 
embarked  sent  an  address  to  the  "rest  of  the  brethren  of  the  Church 
of  England"  calling  the  Church  their  "dear  mother,"  had,  notwith- 
standing their  dutiful  address,  when  they  arrived  in  America,  allowed 
a  sense  of  freedom  to  overcome  their  allegiance,  and,  following  the 

*  Child  Life  in  Colonial  Days,  by  Mrs.  Earle. 


114  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

example  of  the  Pilgrims  of  Plymouth  and  the  Puritans  of  Salem, 
established  separate  churches,  choosing  their  own  officers.  The 
Plymouth  settlers  had  not  openly  renounced  the  authority  of  the 
Church  of  England,  but  they  had  laid  aside  the  established  ritual. 
Endicott  followed  this  example  and  organized  the  first  New  England 
Church  at  Salem.  A  few  members  of  that  Colony  objected,  but  he 
had  them  arrested  and  sent  to  England.  From  that  time  (1630) 
Non-Conformist  Churches  were  established  in  every  New  England 
settlement.  A  simple  method  of  choosing  their  leaders  was  adopted. 
Each  member  wrote  his  vote  on  a  piece  of  paper,  stating  the  Lord 
moved  him  to  think  this  man  is  fit  to  be  pastor,  and  this  one  to  be 
teacher.  The  first  pastor  thus  chosen  was  Skelton,  with  Francis 
Higginson,  whose  journal  is  quoted  on  page  84,  for  teacher.  The 
choice  was  confirmed  by  a  number  of  the  leading  members  of  this 
Company  laying  their  hands  on  them  in  prayer. 

With  the  disuse  of  the  English  ritual  came  the  abandonment  of  the 
white  surplice  during  the  service,  but  the  Geneva  gown  (Figures  148, 
149),  or  preaching  gown  as  it  was  often  called,  was  worn  in  the  pulpit, 
not  only  by  the  Puritan  Non-Conformists,  but  also  by  the  Presbyte- 
rians, who  adopted  it  even  before  they  came  to  the  Colonies.  A 
close-fitting  black  cap  or  coif  is  seen  in  many  of  the  pictures  of  New 
England  divines. 

From  "The  Judicial  History  of  Massachusetts"  I  have  gleaned 
the  following  account  of  lawyers  in  the  New  England  Colonies: 

"It  was  many  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  Colony,  before 
anything  like  a  distinct  class  of  Attorneys  at  Law  was  known.  And 
it  is  doubtful  if  there  were  any  regularly  educated  Attorneys  who 
practiced  in  the  Courts  of  the  Colony  at  any  time  during  its  exist- 
ence. Several  of  the  Magistrates,  it  is  true,  had  been  educated  as 
Lawyers  at  home,  but  they  were  almost  constantly  in  the  magistracy, 
nor  do  we  hear  of  their  being  ever  engaged  in  the  management  of 
cases.     If  they  made  use  of  their  legal  acquirements,  it  was  in  aid 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  115 

of  the  great  object  which  they  had  so  much  at  heart — the  estabhsh- 
ment  of  a  rehgious  Commonwealth,  in  which  the  laws  of  Moses  were 
much  more  regarded  as  precedents  than  the  decisions  of  Westminster 
Hall,  or  the  pages  of  the  few  elementary  writers  upon  the  Common- 
law  which  were  then  cited  in  the  English  Courts.  It  was  thus, 
therefore,  that  the  clergy  were  admitted  to  such  a  direct  participation 
in  the  affairs  of  the  Government,  and  that  to  two  of  their  number  was 
committed  the  duty  of  codifying  the  laws  by  which  the  Common- 
wealth was  to  be  governed  thereafter. 

''There  were  Attorneys,  it  is  true,  and  there  were  lawyers,  and 
all  the  concomitant  evils  growing  out  of  the  bad  passions  involved 
in  litigation,  and  there  was  a  law  against  barratry,  passed  in  1641, 
because  even  then  there  was  barratry  practiced  in  the  Courts.  The 
profession  seems  to  have  now  but  little  favor  in  the  public  mind, 
although  for  the  first  ten  years  of  the  Government  there  were  no  fees 
allowed  to  the  'patrons,'  as  they  were  called,  who  defended  or  aided 
parties  in  their  suits." 

This  statement  explains  the  similarity  in  the  dress  of  judges, 
governors,  and  clergymen  of  this  period  of  colonial  history,  as  will 
be  noticed  in  the  portraits  of  the  day,  given  in  Figures  91,  92,  94, 
and  149. 


THE    DUTCH   AND    ENGLISH 


IN 


NEW  YORK,  LONG  ISLAND,  THE  JERSEYS, 

DELAWARE,  AND  PENNSYLVANIA 

1621-1700 

with   brief  mention   of 

the  Walloons,  Huguenots,  and  Swedes,  as  well  as  of  the 

Quakers  and  German  Settlers 

to  which  is  added  an  account  of  the  dress  of  English 

Lawyers  in  the  Seventeenth  Century 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  119 


TIME'S  ALTERATION; 
or 

The  Old  Man's  Rehearsall,  What  Brave  Days  He  Knew, 
A   Great   While    Agone,    When    His    Old    Cap   Was   New. 

When  this  old  cap  was  new, 

'Tis  since  two  hundred  yeere; 
No  mahce  then  we  knew, 

But  all  things  plentie  were: 
All  friendship  now  decayes 

(Beleeve  me,  this  is  true). 
Which  was  not  in  those  dayes 

When  this  old  cap  was  new. 

Good  hospitalitie 

Was  cherisht  then  of  many; 
Now  poor  men  starve  and  die 

And  are  not  helpt  by  any: 
For  charitie  waxeth  cold. 

And  love  is  found  in  few: 
This  was  not  in  time  of  old 

When  this  old  cap  was  new. 

Where-ever  you  travel'd  then, 

You  might  meet  on  the  way 
Brave  knights  and  gentlemen 

Clad  in  their  countrey  gray. 
That  courteous  would  appeare, 

And  kindly  welcome  you: 
No  puritans  then  were 

When  this  old  cap  was  new. 

Our  ladies  in  those  dayes 

In  civil  habit  went. 
Broad-cloth  was  then  worth  prayse, 

And  gave  the  best  content; 
French  fashions  then  were  scorn'd, 

Fond  fangles  then  none  knew. 
Then  modistie  women  adorn'd 

When  this  old  cap  was  new. 


I20  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

A  man  might  then  behold 

At  Christmas,  in  each  hall 
Good  fires  to  curbe  the  cold, 

And  meat  for  great  and  small; 
The  neighbours  were  friendly  bidden, 

And  all  had  welcome  true; 
The  poore  from  the  gates  were  not  chidden 

When  this  old  cap  was  new. 

Blacke-jackes  to  every  man 

Were  fiU'd  with  wine  and  beere; 
No  pewter  pot  nor  kanne 

In  those  days  did  appeare: 
Good  cheare  in  a  noble- man's  house 

Was  counted  a  seemely  shew; 
We  wanted  no  brawne  nor  sowse 

When  this  old  cap  was  new. 

We  took  not  such  delight 

In  cups  of  silver  fine; 
None  under  the  degree  of  a  knight 

In  plate  drunke  beere  or  wine: 
Now  each  mechanicall  man 

Hath  a  cup-boord  of  plate,  for  a  shew. 
Which  was  a  true  thing  then 

When  this  old  cap  was  new. 


W% 


The   Dutch  and    English  in   New  York, 
Long  Island,  the  Jerseys,  Delaware, 

and   Pennsylvania 

1621-1700 


Figure  95. 

A  Dutch  Colonist  in  New 

Amsterdam. 


VEN  in  a  study  of  costume  it  is  difficult  to  draw 
a  distinct  line  between  the  Dutch  and  English 
elements  in  the  Colony  of  Manhattan. 

To  an  English  seaman  belongs  the  honour 
of  discovery  in  1609.  When  Henry  Hud- 
son, sometimes  called  Hendrick  (Figure  98), 
brought  the  first  ship  to  the  mouth  of  the 
river  which  bears  his  name,  he  was  a  navi- 
gator of  experience,  well  known  to  the  mer- 
chants of  Holland,  who  on  this  occasion 
had  engaged  him  to  make  the  voyage,  and 
it  is  likely  that  he  had  under  him  as  many  Dutch  as  English  sailors 
in  his  ship,  "The  Half-Moon."  After  a  few  weeks  spent  in  exploring 
the  adjacent  country,  he  returned  with  an  enticing  report  of  a  great 
many  fur-clad  animals  near  the  shore.  The  trading  proclivities  of 
the  Dutch  merchants  were  at  once  aroused  and  they  hastened  to 
send  over  men  to  establish  trading  posts.  But  the  first  Colonial 
settlement  was  in  1621,  when  the  great  West  India  Company  was 
chartered  by  the  States  General  of  Holland  and  given  the  monopoly 
of  the  American  tiade. 

Peter  Minuit,  who  was  appointed  Governor  in  1626,  arrived  with 
a  large  number  of  colonists,  men,  women,  and  children,  with  cattle 


122  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

and  household  goods.  Many  of  this  company  were  Walloons  of 
French  extraction  whose  forefathers  had  been  driven  from  their 
homes  in  Flanders  and  Belgium  during  the  Inquisition,  and  had 
afterward  formed  an  industrious  community  in  Holland.  They 
were  skilled  in  various  trades  and  were  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the 
new  colony,  but  they  do  not  appear  to  have  worn  a  distinctive  dress. 

In  1628  an  act  was  passed  in  Holland  giving  to  every  man  who 
raised  a  company  of  fifty  colonists  and  brought  them  to  America 
a  large  tract  of  land  and  the  title  of  Patroon.  In  fact,  many  privi- 
leges were  granted  as  an  inducement  to  form  a  settlement  in  the 
.  Colony,  and  the  Patroons  became  very  rich  and  very  powerful.  A 
thousand  square  miles  were  included  in  the  estate  of  Patroon  Van 
Rensselaer  (Figure  141).  Fine  cattle  were  imported,  fruits,  wheat, 
rye,  buckwheat,  flax,  and  beans  were  cultivated.  The  religious 
toleration  prevailing  in  this  Colony  induced  men  from  New  England 
to  remove  there,  and  the  Huguenots  from  France  also  sought  shelter 
from  persecution  in  New  Amsterdam,  as  the  town  was  called  under 
the  Dutch  supremacy  (Figures  145,  146). 

In  spite  of  the  hardships  they  had  endured  before  they  reached 
the  safe  shelter  of  America,  these  people  were  distinguished  for  a 
happy,  thrifty  temperament  and  gentle  manners,  and  knew  many 
graceful  accomplishments  in  the  way  of  lace-making  and  embroidery, 
which  they  cheerfully  taught  to  their  neighbours.  They  are  said 
to  have  been  the  first  to  weave  carpets  and  hangings  of  odds  and  ends 
"V  of  material.  They  were  also  versed  in  the  concoction  of  delicate 
coloured  dyes,  which  they  used  for  their  garments  and  house  decora- 
tions. 

The  Huguenots  settled  also  in  Pennsylvania,  Massachusetts,  the 
Carolinas,  and  in  Virginia,  and  their  descendants  have  taken  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  development  of  our  country. 

Almost  from  the  outset,  Manhattan  was  a  cosmopolitan  com- 
munity, and  costumes  were  as  varied  as  the  wonderful  tulips  in  the 


Figure  96. 


Figure  97. 


Figure 


123 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  125 

Dutch  gardens.  As  there  were  neither  sumptuary  laws  nor  rehgious 
restrictions  to  control  the  manner  or  material  of  dress,  we  find  the 
prevailing  fashions  among  the  citizens,  both  Dutch  and  English,  very 
elaborate.  The  mercantile  spirit  ever  pervading  New  York  prob- 
ably stimulated  the  wearing  of  fine  clothes. 

We  read  of  the  stalwart  Peter  Stuyvesant,  Governor  of  New 
Amsterdam  for  many  years,  that  "he  was  never  otherwise  than  fault- 
lessly dressed  and  always  after  the  most  approved  European  standard. 
A  wide  drooping  shirt  collar  fell  over  a  velvet  jacket  with  slashed 
sleeves  displaying  full  white  linen  shirt  sleeves.  His  breeches  were 
also  slashed,  very  full  and  fastened  at  the  knee  by  a  handsome  scarf 
tied  in  a  knot,|and  his  shoes  were  ornamented  with  large  rosettes."* 
The  leg  which  he  lost  in  battle  was  replaced  by  a  wooden  one  with 
silver  bands,  which  accounts  for  the  tradition  that  he  wore  a  silver 
leg.  Mrs.  Lamb,  in  her  "History  of  New  York,"  says  of  Governor 
Stuyvesant  that  "he  had  sterling  excellence  of  character,  but  more 
knowledge  than  culture,"  also  that  "his  whole  heart  and  soul  became 
interested  in  the  country  of  his  adoption.  In  bearing  he  seems 
to  have  been  somewhat  haughty  and  exacting.  One  of  his  contem- 
poraries recorded  that,  during  his  inauguration  speech  as  Governor 
of  New  Amsterdam  in  1647,  he  kept  the  people  standing  with  their 
heads  uncovered  for  more  than  an  hour  while  he  wore  his  chapeau, 
as  if  he  were  the  Czar  of  Muscovy.  Habitually  he  wore  a  close  cap 
of  black  velvet  on  his  dark  hair,  which  imparted  a  still  deeper  shade 
to  his  dark  complexion,  and  his  stern  mouth  was  not  hidden  by  the 
slight  mustache  which  he  wore"  (Figure  96). 

From  the  same  authority  we  learn  that  Governor  Stuyvesant's 
wife,  Judith  Bayard,  "was  a  beautiful  blonde  and  followed  the  French 
fashions  in  dress,  displaying  considerable  artistic  skill  in  the  per- 
fection and  style  of  her  attire."  Also  that  "the  purity  of  morals 
and  decorum  of  manners  for  which  the  Dutch  were  distinguished 

*  History  of  New  York,  by  Mrs.  Lamb. 

7 


126 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


had  been  ascribed  to  the  happy  influence  of  their  women,  who  mingled 
in  all  the  active  affairs  of  life  and  were  consulted  with  deferential 
respect."  As  early  as  1640  we  read  of  many  richly  furnished  houses 
with  well-kept  gardens  and  choice  conservatories  in  Colonial  New 
York.  Governor  Schuyler  called  his  town  house  ''White  Hall," 
and  he  owned  a  beautiful  country-seat  in  the  neighbourhood,  for 
which,  it  is  said,  he  paid  6400  guilders  in  1659. 

Markets  were  held  every  Saturday 
in  1656  and  after,  where  laces,  flax, 
linen,  linsey-woolsey,  duffels,  etc.,  were 
sold  by  the  farmers'  wives. 

The  annual  Fair,  or  Kermiss,  was 
an  occasion  of  festivity  which  attracted 
the  people  in  their  holiday  garments 
from  the  neighbouring  villages.  It  was 
inaugurated  on  the  20th  of  October, 
1659,  and  usually  lasted  six  weeks. 
The  working  garb  of  the  Dutch  peasant 
women  consisted  of  a  short  woolen 
petticoat  with  a  loose  jacket  of  red 
cotton  or  blue  Holland,  a  white  ker- 
chief folded  around  the  shoulders,  and 
a  close  white  cap.  In  Figure  100  a 
sketch  is  given  in  which  the  long  white 
apron  of  coarse  homespun  linen  is 
caught  up  with  the  petticoat  for  convenience. 

The  Dutch  women  of  the  Manhattan  Colony  were  marvellous 
housewives.  They  cDncocted  medicines  and  distilled  perfumes  from 
the  plants  in  their  flourishing  gardens.  They  instructed  the  maids 
in  carding  and  weaving,  for  the  woolen  garments  worn  by  the  family, 
as  well  as  the  household  linen  and  underwear,  were  usually  made 
under  the  home  roof.     Moreover,  they  had  a  shrewd    knowledge 


/a.n.fi. 


Figure  ioo. 
A  Dutch  Woman  in  Working 
Dress  (from  a  Contemporary  Print, 
Middle  of  Seventeenth  Certury). 


127 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


129 


of  mercantile  pursuits  and  often  carried  on  business  for  themselves 
and  invested  their  savings  in  trading  ventures.  Their  houses  were 
scrupulously  neat;  white  curtains  usually  hung  in  the  leaden  sashed 
windows,  and  pots  of  flowers  stood  on  the  ledges,  while  a  great  loom 
was  placed  under  the  sloping  roof  of  the  back  stoop.  Every  family 
in  the  Colony  made  a  coarse  cloth  called  linsey-woolsey,  the 
warp  being  of  linen  and  the  woof  of 
wool,  which  they  kept  ready  to  be 
finished  off  by  one  of  the  itinerant 
weavers.  About  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century  we  read  of  a  rattle- 
watch  dressed  in  a  costume  of  blue 
cloth  with  facings  of  orange,  and  armed 
with  lanterns,  rattles,  and  long  staffs. 
The  duty  of  this  company  of  watch- 
men was  to  patrol  the  town  by  day  as 
well  as  by  night.  In  the  early  days  of 
the  Colony  a  licensed  herdsman  was 
put  in  charge  of  all  the  cattle  of  the 
community.  The  distinctive  badge  of 
his  office  was  a  twisted  cow's  horn 
fitted  with  a  mouth-piece  suspended 
by  a  green  cord  across  his  shoulders. 
The  ordinary  working  dress  of  a  man 
was  probably  of  homespun  linsey- 
woolsey  with  hose  of  hand-knitted  yarn.  Monmouth  hats  of 
thrums  were  commonly  worn  in  all  the  Colonies  (Figure  3 7 J). 

Mrs.  Van  Rensselaer,  in  her  "Goode  Vrow  of  Mana-ha-ta,"  aptly 
describes  the  quaint  costumes  of  the  Dutch  people  in  New  York. 
We  will  borrow  her  description  of  Dutch  babies.  "Upon  the  birth 
of  a  child,  the  infant  was  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes  and  put 
into  an  elaborately  embroidered  pocket,  which  was  trimmed  with 


Figure  105. 
A  Dutchman  in  Working  Dress 
(from     a     Contemporary    Painting, 
Middle  of  Seventeenth  Century). 


I30  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

frills  of  ribbon,  the  colour  indicating  the  sex  of  the  child.  A  tiny 
ruffled  cap  confined  its  ears  closely  to  its  head,  and  the  baby  was 
wrapped  so  firmly  in  its  bands  that  it  could  move  neither  hand  nor 
foot,  and  was  laid  in  its  cradle,  or  hung  suspended  on  a  nail  in  the 
wall  without  fear  of  its  stirring  from  any  position  in  which  it  might 
be  placed.  The  birth  of  an  infant  was  announced  to  the  neighbours 
by  hanging  an  elaborately  trimmed  pincushion  on  the  knocker  of 
the  front  door,  the  colour  of  which  denoted  the  sex,  blue  indicating 
a  boy  and  white  a  girl.  This  cushion  was  usually  provided  by  the 
grandmother  and  was  handed  down  as  an  heirloom  from  one  genera- 
tion to  another  to  serve  for  similar  occasions." 

All  authorities  tell  us  of  the  many  petticoats  worn  by  a  bride  one 
over  another,  and  of  the  bridal  crown  which  in  Holland  was  a  token 
of  the  wealth  of  the  family.  It  was  made  often  of  silver  and  adorned 
with  jewels,  but  when  the  family  was  not  rich,  it  was  of  pasteboard 
covered  with  embroidered  silk.  Only  matrons  wore  coifs,  and  they 
varied  with  the  rank  and  affluence  of  the  wearer  (Figures  121,  131). 

The  inventory  of  the  wife  of  a  respectable  and  well-to-do  Dutch 
settler  in  New  Netherlands,  Vrouentje  Ides  Stoffelsen,  in  1641  con- 
tained a  gold  hoop  ring,  a  silver  medal  and  chain,  and  a  silver  under- 
girdle  to  hang  keys  on;  a  damask  furred  jacket,  two  black  camlet 
jackets,  two  doublets,  one  iron-gray,  the  other  black;  a  blue 
petticoat,  a  steel-gray  lined  petticoat,  a  black  coarse  camlet-lined 
petticoat,  one  of  Harlem  stuff,  a  little  black  vest  with  two  sleeves, 
^  a  pair  of  Damask  sleeves,  a  reddish  morning  gown,  not  lined,  four 
pairs  of  pattens,  one  of  Spanish  leather;  a  purple  apron  and  four 
blue  aprons,  nineteen  cambric  caps  and  four  linen  ones,  a  fur  cap 
trimmed  with  beaver,  nine  linen  handkerchiefs  trimmed  with  lace, 
two  pairs  of  old  stockings  and  three  shifts.  Pictures  of  fur-trimmed 
jackets  and  of  fur  caps  are  given  in  Figures  103,  106,  no,  in. 

Officials  could  easily  be  distinguished  by  their  dress.  The  leather 
aprons  worn  by  labourers  and  craftsmen  were  often  dyed  red,  and 


i-lGURE    Io6. 


Figure  107. 


w 

^—^KfSBS^^^^^^^^m 

at 

^B^^  "^'^^r'^^^^^^m 

^^M^§^-  ■  -5^^^          ^^^^^^^^^1 

■k|v,  .  "^^''^^II^^^^H 

n 

^^H 

H 

^^IgH 

H 

■                                  ^^K'^^^^^^B 

1 

1  •?,'>•  VV;;r*;i   -  ■■■''W^'^^S^^ 

Figure  108. 


Figure  109. 


Figure  ho. 


i'lGURE    III. 


131 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  133 

when  the  wearer  was  not  at  work,  one  corner  was  usually  tucked 
under  his  belt. 

Different  concoctions  of  bark  taught  them  by  the  Indian  squaws 
were  used  by  the  women  to  dye  their  homespun  petticoats  and  short 
gowns  (Figure  100). 

The  caps,  chatelaines,  and  gowns  of  the  well-to-do  matrons  were 
of  costly  materials  and  invariably  of  bright  colours.  The  garments 
of  the  men,  too,  were  of  satin,  velvet,  and  silk,  trimmed  with  lace  and 
fur.     Buttons  and  buckles  were  often  of  gold  set  with  precious  stones. 

The  samare  or  loose  jacket  with  "side  laps"  or  skirts  reaching 
to  the  knee,  sometimes  with  elbow  sleeves  turned  back  and  faced, 
was  worn  by  the  Dutch  ladies  over  a  waistcoat  and  petticoat.  A 
picture  of  one  trimmed  with  fur  is  given  in  Figure  103.  The  pre- 
vailing shapes  of  coats  and  hats  were  not  unlike  the  English.  Late 
in  the  seventeenth  century  coats  had  long  wide  tails  with  wide  cuffs. 
Hats  were  large  and  low  of  crown  (Figures  42,  104). 

Dr.  Jacob  de  Eange  and  his  wife  (New  York,  1682)  left  lists  of 
their  wardrobes  which  are  documents  of  great  value  to  a  history 
of  costume. 

One  under  petticoat  with  a  body  of  red  bay, 

One  under  petticoat,  scarlet 

One  Petticoat,  red  cloth  with  black  lace 

One  striped  stuff  petticoat  with  black  lace 

Two  coloured  drugget  petticoats  with  white  linings, 

One  coloured  drugget  petticoat  with  pointed  lace. 

two  coloured  drugget  petticoats  with  gray  linings 

One  black  silk  petticoat  with  ash  gray  silk  lining, 

One  potto-foo  silk  petticoat  with  black  silk  lining, 

One  silk  potoso-a-samare  with  lace, 

One  tartanel  samare  with  tucker 

One  black  silk  crape  samare  with  tucker 

Three  flowered  calico  samares, 

Three  calico  nightgowns,  one  flowered,  two  red, 

One  silk  waistcoat,  one  caUco  waistcoat 

One  pair  of  bodice, 

Five  pairs  white  cotton  stockings,    ^/^ 


134  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

Three  black  love  hoods, 

One  white  love-hood 

Two  pair  sleeves  with  great  lace 

Four  cornet  caps  with  lace 

One  plain  black  silk  rain  cloth  cap 

One  black  plush  mask, 

Four  yellow  lace  drowlas 

One  embroidered  purse  with  silver  bugle  and  chain  to  the  girdle,  and  silver 

hook  and  eye. 
One  pair  black  pendants,  gold  nocks 

One  gold  boat,  wherein  thirteen  diamonds  &  one  white  coral  chain, 
One  pair  gold  stucks  or  pendants  each  with  ten  diamonds. 
Two  diamond  rings. 
One  gold  ring  with  clasp  beck 
One  gold  ring  or  hoop  bound  round  with  diamonds 

Dr.  de  Lange's  wardrobe  was  abundant,  but  not  so  rich: 

One  grosgrained  cloak  lined  with  silk, 
One  black  broadcloth  coat. 
One  black  broadcloth  suit. 
One  coat  lined  with  red  serge 
One  black  grosgrained  suit 
One  coloured  cloth  waistcoat  with  silver  buttons 
One  coloured  serge  suit  with  silver  buttons 
Three  silk  breeches 
Three  calico  breeches 
Three  white  breeches 

One  pair  yellow  hand  gloves  with  black  silk  fringe 
Five  pairs  white  calico  stockings 
/    One  pair  black  worsted  stockings 
One  pair  gray  worsted  stockings 
One  fine  black  hat,  one  old  gray  hat,  one  black  hat. 

When  in  1664  the  Enghsh  sailed  into  the  harbour  and  made 
bloodless  conquest  of  the  Colony,  they  introduced  but  few  changes 
in  the  mode  of  living.  In  1675  Manhattan  was  re- taken  by  the 
Dutch,  and  affairs  of  government  and  life  went  on  as  before  for  another 
year. 

"The  colours  in  the  Dutch  gowns  were  almost  uniformly  gay — 
in  keen  contrast  to  the  sad  coloured  garments  of  New  England. 
We  hear  of  Madam  Cornelia  de  Vos  in  a  green  cloth  petticoat,  a 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


135 


red  and  blue  'Haarlamer'  waistcoat,  a  pair  of  red  and  yellow  sleeves, 
and  a  purple  Tooyse'  apron." 

Figure  121  shows  a  coif  or  cap  worn  en  New  Amsterdam.  It 
is  made  of  gray  and  white  brocade  and  trimmed  with  silver  lace 
of  an  elaboratif  pgLtlift*n,  -put  owMSX  across  the  top.    Around  the 


Figure  112. 


ib/if. 
Figure  113. 


1677. 

Figure  114. 


Figure  115. 


Jajnet  JC . 

Figure  116. 


face  is  a  plaited  ruffle  of  lace  held  in  place  by  three  rows  of  silver 
wire  run  through  the  plaits. 

The  children,  too,  were  gaily  dressed,  as  we  can  see  in  the  Dutch 
contemporary  portraits  (Figures  108,   109,   132,  and  133). 

A  leading  man  of  New  Amsterdam,  a  burgomaster,  had  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  near  the  end  of  the  Dutch  rule,  this  plentiful  num- 


Figure  117. 


Figure  118. 


i65? 

Figure  119. 


Figure  120. 


ber  of  substantial  garments:  A  cloth  coat  with  silver  buttons,  a 
stuff  coat,  cloth  breeches,  a  cloth  coat  with  gimp  buttons,  a  black 
cloth  coat,  a  silk  coat,  breeches  and  doublet,  a  silver  cloth  breeches 
and  doublet,  a  velvet  waistcoat  with  silver  lace,  a  buff  coat,  with 
silk  sleeves,  three  grass-green  cloaks,  several  perukes,  "tets  and  fox- 
tails after  the  genteelest  fashion." 


136 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


One  romantic  element  in  the  history  of  New  Amsterdam  not  found 
in  the  other  colonies  is  that  of  the  pirates  who  carried  on  a  vigor- 
ous business  at  sea  and  brought  into  the  shops  and  markets  many 
rich  stuffs  captured  from  the  ships  returning  to  England  and  France 

from  the  East  Indies.  The  government 
made  no  effort  to  interfere  with_  them, 
and  sometimes,  as  in  the  case  of  Captain 
Kidd,  these  maritime  marauders  finally 
settled  down  and  became  respectable 
citizens.  We  are  not  surprised  to  read 
that  Captain  Kidd  started  housekeeping 
in  New  York  with  three  hundred  dollars' 
worth  of  plate. 

The  English  again  conquered  New 
Amsterdam  and,  under  Sir  Edward 
Andros,  as  Governor  (Figure  97),  it 
became  an  English  colony,  and  was 
called  New  York  in  honour  of  the  Duke 
of  York,  brother  of  Charles  II. 

There  were  Dutch  and  English  set- 
tlements likewise  in  Long  Island,  the  Jerseys,  and  Delaware, 
more  or  less  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Governor  of  New  York, 
where  doubtless  the  costumes,  like  the  customs,  reflected  both 
nationalities. 


Figure  121. 
Coif    of    a    Dutch    Matron 
(from  the  Original  Garment,  late 
Seventeenth  Century). 


THE  SWEDES  ON  THE  DELAWARE 

In  1638  a  colony  of  Swedes  was  sent  out  to  America  with  instruc- 
tions to  settle  the  land  not  belonging  to  the  Dutch  and  English.  Select- 
ing a  spot  on  the  west  shore  of  the  Delaware,  they  built  a  fort  and 
called  the  settlement  New  Sweden.  In  1656  the  Dutch  sent  a  com- 
pany from  New  Amsterdam  to  establish  a  trading  post  on  the  Dela- 
ware, and  they  founded  the  town  which  is  now  known  as  New  Castle. 


Figure  122. 


Figure  123. 


Figure  124. 


Figure  125. 


137 


L 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  139 

Frequent  skirmishes  followed  between  the  Swedish  and  the  Dutch 
settlers  (Figures  95,  106,  in,  123,  124,  also  100,  105),  and  finally 
the  English  claimed,  by  virtue  of  a  patent  from  Charles  II  in  1664, 
all  the  land  from  the  west  side  of  Connecticut  River  to  the  east  side 
of  Delaware  Bay,  which  was  named  for  Thomas  West,  Lord  Dela- 
ware, one  of  the  early  Governors  of  Virginia;  and  thus  all  the  col- 
onies of  America  came  under  English  rule.  This  was  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  reign  of  Charles  11. 

In  Figures  i,  68,  and  69  we  have  the  characteristic  dress  of  the 
English  gentleman  and  gentlewoman  of  this  date,  and  in  Figures 
10 1  and  102  the  typical  costume  of  a  Dutch  Patroon  and  his  wife. 

THE  QUAKERS  IN  PENNSYLVANIA 

When  the  Quakers  came  to  Pennsylvania  with  William  Penn, 
they  had  not  adopted  any  distinctive  style  of  dress.  From  choice 
only  were  the  colours  rather  grave  than  gay,  for  no  strict  rules  had 
been  formulated  at  this  time  (1682)  prohibiting  the  use  of  bright 
colours  or  trimmings  by  the  Quakers.  The  sash  of  sky-blue  silk 
worn  by  Penn,  either  as  a  badge  of  office  or  mark  of  his  rank,  is  an 
agreeable  note  of  colour.  This  sash  is  described  as  made  of  silk 
network  and  as  being  of  the  size  and  style  of  that  of  a  military  officer. 
In  an  old  English  publication  we  read:  "This  sash  is  now  in  the 
possession  of  Thomas  Kett,  Esq.,  of  Seething  Hall,  near  Norwich."  * 

Shoe  and  stock  buckles  were  usually  of  silver,  and  the  ruffles 
at  neck  and  wrist  were  of  linen,  either  plainly  hemmed  or  trimmed 
with  rich  lace.  Heels  were  rather  high,  the  toes  of  the  shoes  square.] 
A  gentleman  of  our  day  would  seem  to  modem  eyes  very  gaily  dressed 
in  such  a  costume  as  the  first  followers  of  the  benign  Founder  of 
Philadelphia  habitually  wore  (Figures  143, 144). 

However,  a  certain  neatness  and  staidness  distinguished  both 
the  men  and  the  women  from  the  earliest  days  of  this  Quaker  colony, 

*  Hone's  Every  Day  Book. 


y 


I40  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

although  family  portraits  still  in  possession  of  their  descendants 
prove  that  gowns  of  blue  and  red  satin  were  not  infrequently  worn 
by  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends  previous  to  1700.  There  was 
nothing  of  the  so-called  Quaker  simplicity  about  Penn's  household. 
Pennsbury,  his  beautiful  manor  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware, 
was  furnished  and  maintained  on  a  substantial  and  most  liberal  scale. 
Costly  silver,  fine  china,  rich  curtains  and  rugs  made  it  a  fitting 
abode  for  a  royal  governor.  The  twelve-oared  barge  in  which  Penn 
usually  made  his  journeys  to  town  was  also  stately  and  imposing. 

Although  the  hats  of  the  Quakers  (Figures  117,  118,  and  143) 
were  of  a  shape  similar  to  those  worn  by  King  Charles  and  his  cour- 
tiers, they  were  put  on  the  head  with  a  certain  rigidity,  and  the  fact 
that  they  were  never  doffed  in  deference  to  rank  or  the  fair  sex  may 
have  added  a  touch  of  grimness  and  austerity  to  the  expression  of  the 
broad  brims  in  striking  contrast  to  the  graceful  plumed  hats  worn 
by  cavaliers  and  used  by  them  to  express  every  degree  of  courtesy. 

"  The  Quaker  loves  an  ample  brim, 
A  hat  that  bows  to  no  salaam." 

In  1693  Penn,  with  the  welfare  of  the  province  always  in  mind, 
put  into  his  book,  "Some  fruits  of  Solitude,"  a  message  of  counsel 
in  matters  of  dress.  "Choose  thy  cloaths  by  thine  own  eye,  not 
anothers.  The  more  simple  and  plain  they  are,  the  better.  Neither 
unshapely  nor  fantastical,  and  for  use  and  decency,  not  for  Pride." 

Mrs.  Gummere,  who  has  made  an  exhaustive  study  of  Quaker 
dress,  says  that  green  aprons  were  so  m^<^h  worn  by  Friends  at  this 
period  as  to  be  regarded  "almost  as  badges  of  Quakerism";  also 
that  Friends  not  only  called  their  cloaks  by  the  popish  title  "Car- 
dinal," but  wore  them  in  red  and  all  bright  colours. 

"Wigs  were  as  generally  worn  by  genteel  Friends  as  by  other 
people"  (Figures  13I1.  and  135).  This  was  the  more  surprising 
because  they  religiously  professed   to  exclude  all  superfluities,  and 


""vnnsm. 


141 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  143 

yet  nothing  could  have  been  offered  to  the  mind  as  so  essentially- 
useless."*  In  the  year  1685,  William  Penn  wrote  to  his  steward, 
James  Harrison,  requesting  him  to  allow  Governor  Lloyd,  his 
deputy,  the  use  of  his  wigs  in  his  absence. 

In  England  there  were  but  few  striking  changes  in  the  fashion- 
able dress  of  the  upper  classes  from  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Charles 
II  to  the  end  of  the  reign  of  William  and  Mary. 

The  straight  square-cut  coats  were  worn  opening  over  waistcoats 
of  equal  length  reaching  to  the  knees ;  the  breeches  were  held  in  place 
beneath  the  knee  by  long  stockings,  which  were  drawn  up  over 
them ;  long  neck-cloths  of  Flanders  or  Spanish  point-lace  were  used ; 
the  shoes,  the  upper  leather  of  which  rose  considerably  above  the 
instep,  were  fastened  by  a  small  strap  over  it,  passing  through  a 
buckle  placed  rather  on  one  side ;  the  hat  was  bent  up  or  cocked 
all  round  and  trimmed  with  feathers  (Figures  118,  119,  120); 
fringed  gloves  and  monstrous  periwigs,  which  it  was  the  fashion  to 
comb  publicly,  completed  the  habit  of  the  beaux  of  London  in  the 
reign  of  William  and  Mary. 

"The  ladies  seem  to  have  adopted  some  of  the  Dutch  fashions," 
says  a  contemporary  writer.  "The  stomacher  appeared  more  formally 
laced.  The  sleeves  of  the  gown  became  straight  and  tight,  and  ter- 
minated with  a  cuff  at  the  elbow  in  imitation  of  those  of  the  male 
sex.  Rows  of  flounces  and  furbelows,  or  falbalas,  bordered  the 
petticoat,  which  was  disclosed  by  the  gown  being  looped  completely 
back.  The  head-dress  was  exceeding  high  in  front,  being  com- 
posed of  a  cap,  the  lace  of  which  rose  in  three  or  more  tiers 
almost  to  a  point  above  the  forehead,  the  hajr  being  combed  up 
and  disposed  in  rows  of  wavy  curls  one  above  the  other  (Figure 
38).  Hair  powder  was  used  occasionally,  but  not  generally.  Muffs 
were  carried  by  both  sexes.  They  were  very  small  and  orna- 
mented often  with  large  bows  of  ribands. 

*  The  Quaker :  A  Study  in  Costume,  by  Amelia  Mott  Gummere. 


144  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

"The  dress  of  the  commonalty  underwent  no  change"  (Figures 
40,  41)  * 

We  find  the  same  costumes  in  the  colonies.  In  Tod's  "History 
of  New  York"  is  the  following  description  of  the  fashions  about 
1695  (reign  of  William  and  Mary): 

"Broadway  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  as  the  bells  were  ringing 
for  Church,  must  have  presented  an  animated  and  even  brilliant 
spectacle  far  exceeding  that  which  modern  beaux  and  belles  pre- 
sent. In  these  days,  however,  both  ladies  and  gentlemen  shone 
rich  as  Emperor  moths.  These  worshippers,  whom  we  imagine 
ourselves  watching,  come  in  groups  moving  down  the  wide  shaded 
street,  some  entering  Trinity,  others  turning  into  Garden  Street  and 
passing  into  the  new  Dutch  Church  on  that  thoroughfare.  Both 
places  of  worship  are  equally  fashionable.  The  Dutch  Church 
is  the  wealthier,  but  then  Trinity  has  the  Governor's  pew,  and  the 
prestige  that  comes  of  State  patronage  and  emolument.  Let  us 
describe,  as  showing  the  fashions  of  the  day,  the  dress  of  this  group 
bearing  down  abreast  of  the  church  yard.  They  are  Nicholas  Bay- 
ard and  Madam  Bayard,  William  Merritt,  Alderman  and  Madam 
Merritt,  and  Isaac  de  Riemer.  Bayard,  who  has  been  Secretary 
of  the  Province,  Mayor,  and  Colonel  of  the  City  Militia,  wears  a 
cinnamon  coloured  cloth  coat  with  skirt  reaching  quite  to  the  knee, 
embroidered  four  or  five  inches  deep  with  silver  lace,  and  lined  with 
sky-blue  silk.  His  waistcoat  is  of  red  satin  woven  in  with  gold.  His 
breeches,  of  the  same  colour  and  material  as  his  coat,  are  trimmed 
with  silver  at  the  pockets  and  knees.  Dove  coloured  silk  stock- 
ings and  low  shoes  adorned  with  large  silver  buckles  cover  his  nether 
extremities.  His  hat,  of  black  felt,  has  a  wide  flapping  brim  and 
is  adorned  with  a  band  of  gold  lace.  His  full-bottomed  wig  is  plenti- 
fully powdered  with  starch  finely  ground  and  sifted,  to  which  burnt 
alabaster  or  whiting  has  been  added  to  give  it  body,  and  is  scented 

*  Knight's  Pictorial  History  of  England. 


145 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


147 


with  ambergris.  A  steinkirk  of  fine  muslin  encircles  his  neck,  the 
ends  of  which  are  laced  and  tucked  into  his  expansive  shirt  bosom. 
The  latter  is  of  fine  holland  adorned  with  colebatteen  ruffles,  the 
waistcoat  being  left  open  to  better  display  them.  He  carries  a  cane, 
too,  with  a;  gold  head  elegantly  engraved  in  cypher  and  crown,  but 
the  sword,  with  its  gay  sword  knot,  then  an  almost  indispensable 
adjunct  to  a  gentleman's  dress,  in  deference  to  the  day  has  been 
left  behind.  The  two  other  gentlemen  are  dressed  much  in  the 
same  style  except  that  there  is  a  pleasing  variety  in  style  and  colour. 
Merritt,  for  instance,  wears  a  salmon  coloured  silk  drugget  coat, 
with  silver  brocade  waiitcoat  and  small  clothes,  while  De  Riemer 
has  a  sagathie  cloth  ^fat  with  waistcoat  and  breeches  of  drap  du 
Barre. 


Figure  134. 

Figure  135. 

Figure  136. 

Periwig  of  Charles  II, 

Periwig  of  William  III, 

Campaign  Wig, 

'     1660. 

1690. 

1684. 

"But  if  the  gentlemen  are  thus  brilliant,  what  is  to  be  said  of  the 
ladies,  who  are  apt  to  lead  the  sterner  sex  in  matters  of  personal 
adornment?  Instead  of  a  bonnet.  Madam  Bayard  wears  a  'front- 
age '  (commode),  a  sort  of  head-dress  formed  of  rows  of  plaited  mus- 
lin stiffened  with  wire  one  above  the  other,  and  diminishing  in  size 
as  they  rise.  She,  too,  wears  the  steinkirk,  or  neck-cloth.  The 
bodice  of  her  purple  and  gold  atlas  gown  is  laced  over  very  tight 
stays,  and  the  gown  itself  is  open  in  front  to  display  the  black 
velvet  petticoat  edged  with  two  silver  orrices  and  high  enough  to 


148  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

show  the  green  silk  stockings  and   beautiful  embroidered   shoes  of 
fine  morocco." 

"My  high  commode,  my  damask  gown, 
My  lac'd  shoes  of  Spanish  leather. 
A  silver  bodkin  in  my  head, 
And  a  dainty  plume  of  feather." 

— "Young  Maid's  Portion." 


THE  DRESS  OF  ENGLISH  LAWYERS  IN  THE 
SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY 

Very  little  is  said  by  the  early  authorities  on  the  costumes  of 
lawyers  and  judges  in  the  Colonies,  but  there  are  numerous  indica- 
tions of  the  fact  that  scarlet,  the  judicial  colour  in  England,  was 
worn  on  the  Colonial  bench,  and  Martin,  in  his  "History  of  the 
Bench  and  Bar  in  Pennsylvania,"  states  that  undoubtedly  the  courts 
were  conducted  with  much  of  the  state  and  formality  of  the  Mother 
Country.  It  will  be  interesting  in  a  study  of  the  dress  of  the  day  to 
recall  the  complicated  costumes  of  the  English  law  courts,  although 
the  pomp  and  display  therein  detailed  were  not  even  possible  in  the 
enforced  simplicity  of  the  early  Colonies.  In  New  England,  Vir- 
ginia, Maryland,  the  Barbadoes,  and  the  Carolinas,  as  well  as  later 
in  New  York  and  even  in  Pennsylvania,  the  forms  and  ceremonies 
of  government  were  as  similar  to  the  English  code  as  circumstances 
permitted. 

In  the  Southern  Colonies  especially  it  is  probable  that  much  for- 
mality was  observed  in  the  dress  of  lawyers  and  judges;  at  all  events 
we  do  not  read  of  any  departure  from  the  English  methods  of  pro- 
cedure in  documents  of  the  Colonies. 

In  a  historical  sketch  of  the  English  law  courts  by  Inderwick,* 
we  find  a  description  of  the  gradual  changes  in  legal  dress 
and   customs    in    England    during    the   Colonial    period.      In    the 

*  The  King's  Peace,  by  F.  A.  Inderwick. 


•a- 


▼' 


i 


J^' 


149 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  151 

time  of  Charles  I  questions  relating  to  the  attire  of  the  common- 
law  judges  were  involved  in  so  much  doubt  and  surrounded  with 
so  many  contradictory  precedents  and  traditions  that  the  judges  re- 
solved to  simplify  matters  by  conference.  The  result  of  their  delib- 
erations was  a  decree  dated  June  6,  1635,  which,  although  it  could 
not  have  direct  application  to  the  Colonial  courts  in  every  particu- 
lar, throws  important  light  on  the  ceremonies  and  etiquette  to  which 
every  English  lawyer  of  that  date  was  accustomed.  We  therefore 
quote  the  extract  from  State  Papers  given  by  Mr.  Jeffreson :  * 

"The  judges  in  Term  time  are  to  set  at  Westminster  in  the  Courts, 
in  their  black  or  violet  gowns,  whether  they  will,  and  a  hood  of  the 
same  colour  put  over  their  heads,  and  their  mantles  above  all;  the 
end  of  the  hood  hanging  over  behind;  wearing  their  velvet  caps, 
and  coyfes  of  lawn,  and  cornered  cap.  The  facing  of  their  gowns, 
hoods  and  man^js,  is  with  changeable  taffata;  which  they  must 
begin  to  wear  wKi  Ascension-day,  being  the  last  Thursday  in  Easter 
Term,  and  ccmlnue  those  robes  until  the  feast  of  Simon  and  Jude. 
And  Simon  and  Jude's  day,  the  judges  begin  to  wear  their  robes 
faced  with  white  furs  of  minever;  and  so  continue  that  facing  until 
Ascension-day  again. 

"Upon  all  Holydays,  which  fall  in  the  Term  and  are  Hall  dayes, 
the  judges  sit  in  scarlet  faced  with  Taffata,  when  Taffata  facing  is 
to  be  worn,  and  with  furs,  or  minever,  when  furs  or  minever  are  to 
be  worn. 

"Upon  the  day  when  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London  comes  to  West- 
minster to  take  his  oath,  that  day  the  judges  come  in  scarlet,  and 
upon  the  fifth  of  November,  being  Gunpowder  Day,  unless  it  be 
Sunday,  the  judges  go  to  Westminster  Abbey  in  scarlet  to  hear  the 
sermon,  and  after  go  to  sit  in  Court  and  the  two  Lords  Chief  Justices, 
and  the  Lord  Chief  Baron,  have  their  collars  of  S.S.  above  their  man- 
tles for  those  two  days. 

*  A  Book  about  Lawyers,  by  John  Cordy  Jeffreson. 


152  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


"When  the  Judges  go  to  St.  Paul's  to  the  sermon,  upon  any  Sunday 
in  the  Term  time,  or  to  any  other  pubhc  church,  they  ought  to  go 
in  scarlet  gownes;  the  two  Lords  Chief  Justices  and  the  Lord  Chief 
Baron  in  their  velvet  and  satin  tippets;  and  the  hood  is  to  be  pinned 
abroad  towards  the  left  shoulder.  And  if  it  be  upon  any  grand 
dayes,  as  upon  the  Ascension-day,  Mid-summer  day,  All  Hallows- 
day,  or  Candlemas-day,  then  the  two  Lords  Chief  Justices  and  the 
Lord  Chief  Baron  wear  collars  of  S.S.  with  long  scarlet  casting-hoods 
and  velvet  and  satin  tippets. 

"At  all  times  when  the  judges  go  to  the  Council-table,  or  to  any 
assembly  of  the  Lords  in  the  afternoons  in  Term  time,  they  ought 
to  go  in  their  robes  of  violet  or  black,  faced  with  taffata,  according 
as  the  time  of  wearing  them  doth  require ;  and  with  tippets  and  scar- 
let casting-hoods,  pinned  near  the  left  shoulder,  unless  it  be  Sunday 
or  Holyday,  and  then  in  scarlet.  In  the  circuit  the  judges  go  to  church 
upon  Sundays  in  the  fore-noon  in  scarlet  gownes,  hoods,  and  man- 
tles, and  sit  in  their  caps.  And  in  the  afternoons  to  the  church  in 
scarlet  gownes,  tippet  and  scarlet  hood,  and  sit  in  their  cornered  caps. 

"And  the  first  morning  at  the  reading  of  the  commissions,  they 
sit  in  scarlet  gownes,  with  hoods  and  mantles,  and  in  their  coyfs 
and  cornered  caps.  And  he  that  gives  the  charge,  and  delivers  the 
gaol,  doth,  or  ought  for  the  most  part,  to  continue  all  that  assizes 
in  the  same  robes,  scarlet  gown,  hood,  and  mantle.  But  the  other 
judge,  who  sits  upon  the  Nisi  Prius,  doth  commonly  (if  he  will) 
sit  only  in  his  scarlet  robe,  with  tippet  and  casting-hood;  or  if  it 
be  cold  he  may  sit  in  gown  and  hood,  and  mantle. 

"And  when  the  judges  in  the  Circuit  go  to  dine  with  the  shireeve, 
or  to  a  publick  feast,  then  in  scarlet  gowns,  tippets,  and  scarlet 
hoods;  or  casting  off  their  mantle,  they  keep  on  their  hood. 

"The  scarlet  casting-hood  is  to  be  put  above  the  tippet,  on  the 
right  side,  for  Justice  Wolmsley  and  Justice  Warburton,  and  all  the 
judges  before,  did  wear  them  in  that  manner,  and  did  declare  that 


153 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  155 

by  wearing  the  hood  on  the  right  side,  and  above  the  tippet,  was 
signified  more  temporal  dignity;  and  by  the  tippet  on  the  left  side 
only,  the  judges  did  resemble  priests. 

"Whenever  the  judges  or  any  of  them  are  appointed  to  attend 
the  king's  majesty,  they  go  in  scarlet  gowns,  tippets,  and  scarlet 
casting-hoods;    either  to  his  own  presence,  or  at  the  council-table. 

"The  judges  and  sergeants  when  they  ride  circuit,  are  to  wear 
a  sergeant's  coat  of  good  broad-cloth,  with  sleeves,  and  faced  with 
velvet.  They  have  used  of  late  to  lace  the  sleeves  of  the  sergeant's 
coat  thick  with  lace  and  they  are  to  have  a  sumpter,  and  ought  to 
ride  with  six  men  at  the  least. 

"Also  the  first  Sunday  of  every  term,  and  when  the  judges  and 
sergeants  dine  at  my  Lord  Mayor's,  or  the  shireeves,  they  are  to  wear 
their  scarlets,  and  to  sit  at  Paul's  with  caps  at  the  sermon. 

"When  the  judges  go  to  any  reader's  feast,  they  go  upon  the 
Sunday  or  Holyday  in  scarlet;  upon  other  days  in  violet,  and  the 
sergeants  go  in  violet,  with  scarlet  hoods. 

"When  the  judges  sit  upon  Nisi  Prius  in  Westminster,  or  in  Lon- 
don they  go  in  violet  gowns,  and  scarlet  casting-hoods,  and  tippets, 
upon  Holydays  in  scarlet." 

"This  order,"  Jeffreson  says,  "deserves  attentive  perusal,  for  it 
throws  light  upon  departed  manners,  exemplifies  the  obsolete  pomp 
of  the  law,  and  recalls  the  days  when  the  humblest  judge  of  assize 
was  required  to  ride  circuit  with  an  imposing  body-guard." 

The  author  of  "The  King's  Peace"  records  that  "in  the  matter  of 
courts,  of  officers,  and  of  costumes,  the  judges  of  the  Common- 
wealth differed  but  little  from  their  predecessors,  except  that  the 
King's  Bench  was  called  the  Upper  Bench,  a  name  by  which  it  also 
seems  to  have  been  occasionally  known  in  previous  reigns.  The 
Keepers  of  the  Great  Seal  wore  a  robe  described  by  Whitelock,  the  his- 
torian of  the  epoch,  as  a  '  handsome  velvet  gown '  closely  resembling 
that  worn  by  Lord  Bacon  in  the  portrait  in  Lord  Verulam's  collection." 

8 


156 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


The  same  authority  gives  the  modification  of  legal  dress  which 
followed  towards  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century.  "The  Com- 
mon Law  judges  wore  their  scarlet,  as  we  know  from  certain  peti- 
tions presented  to  the  Protector,  praying  that  the  judges  who  went 
circuit  in  their  scarlet,  and  were  at  times  escorted  by  a  troop  of  horse, 
should  no  longer  be  permitted  to  'affright  the  country  with  their 
blood-red  robes  and  their  state  and  pomp.'     Sergeants  wore  their 

coifs  and  striped  gowns;  but  the 
Bar,  under  the  rank  of  sergeant, 
wore  their  own  hair  trimmed  in 
such  device  as  was  prescribed  by 
fashion  and  not  forbidden  by  the 
regulations  of  the  Inn  to  which 
they  belonged.  The  head-dress 
of  the  judges,  the  sergeants,  and 
the  Bar  had  from  the  very  earliest 
periods  been  fixed  and  determined. 
The  judges  wore  the  coif  and  vel- 
vet cap  over  their  own  hair,  and 
with  their  beards  and  moustaches 
as  they  thought  fit.  Sergeants 
wore  the  coif,  while  counsel  wore 
a  serious  dress  of  the  costume 
of  the  period.  Ruffs  were  in  fash- 
ion during  the  reigns  of  Elizabeth 
and  James  I,  when  judges  and  counsel  wore  them.  These  were  sup- 
planted by  a  broad  lace  collar,  which  was  in  fashion  under  Charles  I, 
and  by  white  linen  bands  under  the  Commonwealth.  In  the  reign  of 
Charles  II  the  monarch  and  people  of  position  assumed  the  periwig,  a 
fashion  imported  from  France,  where  it  was  patronized  by  Louis  XIV, 
and  gradually  left  off  wearing  beards  and  moustaches.  Some  of  the 
judges,  but  not  all,  accordingly  wore  the  judicial  robes  with  the 


Figure  142. 
Sergeant-at-law,   Reign   of    Charles   II. 


157 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


159 


periwig  in  place  of  the  coif;  and  this  diversity  of  head-dress  among 
the  judges  continued  during  the  reign  of  James  II,  when  Sir  Thomas 
Street,  one  of  the  judges  who  was  in  office  in  1688,  still  wore  his  own 
hair  with  the  coif  and  the  black  velvet  cap.  The  Bar,  being  younger 
than  the  judges,  took  more  generally  to  the  prevailing  fashion,  and 
wore  first  the  long  and  then  the  short  wig.  In  course  of  time,  under 
William  III,  all  classes  of  the  community,  including  bishops  and 
clergymen,  wore  the  long  or  the  short 
wig,  judges  and  counsel  being  included 
in  the  number;  and  the  sergeants,  to 
indicate  their  status,  wore  a  black 
patch  on  a  white  silk  ground,  fastened 
on  to  their  wigs  as  a  substitute  for  the 
black  cap  and  the  white  coif.  The 
lawyers,  however,  who  followed  the 
public  taste  in  assuming  periwigs,  failed 
to  follow  it  in  leaving  them  ofiF.  The 
bishops,  who  continued  to  wear  their 
wigs  long  after  the  public  had  ceased  to 
do  so,  gave  up  the  practice  some  fifty 
years  ago;  but  the  judges  and  counsel 
have  continued  till  to-day  the  bands  of 
the  Commonwealth  along  with  the  head- 
dress of  the  Restoration,  which  is  no 
more  any  portion  of  ancient  or  tradi- 
tionary legal  costume  than  were  the  ruffs  of  Queen  Elizabeth  or  the 
lace  collars  of  Charles  I.  And  thus  it  happens  that,  by  a  very  per- 
versity of  conservatism,  that  head-dress,  which  in  the  seventeenth 
century  was  worn  alike  by  kings  and  by  courtiers,  by  clergymen  and 
by  soldiers,  by  Jeffreys  on  the  Bench  and  by  Titus  Gates  in  the  dock, 
has  become  in  the  nineteenth  century  the  distinct  characteristic  of 
the  advocate  and  the  judge.     King  James  I,  interfering  with  the 


Figure  147. 
Sergeant-at-law,  Reign  of  James  II. 


i6o  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


Inns  of  Court,  as  with  most  other  of  his  subjects'  affairs,  had  ordered 
that  barristers  were  not  to  come  to  the  hall  of  their  Inn  with  their 
cloaks,  boots,  swords,  spurs,  or  daggers,  showing  their  ordinary 
habits  were  those  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  period,  and  further  that 
none  were  to  be  admitted  into  the  Society  who  were  not  gentlemen 
by  descent.  These  directions  were  repeated  by  Charles  I,  and  seem 
to  have  been  very  generally  followed,  and  it  was  not,  I  conceive,  till 
the  middle  of  King  Charles'  reign,  if  not  later,  that  counsel  under 
the  rank  of  sergeants,  when  employed  in  court,  took  to  wearing  silk 
or  stuff  gowns,  and  thus  became  'gentlemen  of  the  long  robe.' " 

I  feel  obliged  to  quote  these  items  of  legal  costume  and  customs 
in  full,  not  being  able  to  determine  with  exactness  how  nearly  they 
were  followed  in  the  Colonies  in  the  seventeenth  century.  In  Figure 
127  a  picture  from  a  contemporary  print  is  given  of  a  lawyer  in  his 
wig  and  parliament.  The  illustrations  (Figures  142  and  147)  are 
also  taken  from  authorities  of  the  time.  Much  has  been  said  in 
print  of  the  circuit  and  the  county  courts.  It  is  well  known  that  all 
the  pomp  and  dignity  were  observed  that  those  occasions  permitted 
in  the  Colonies,  but  very  grave  offences  and  questions  of  State  were 
carried  before  the  court  in  England. 

THE  GERMAN  SETTLERS  IN  PENNSYLVANIA 

1683-1790 

The  Mennonites,  or  German  Quakers,  who  settled  Germantown 
in  Pennsylvania  under  the  hospitable  encouragement  of  Penn  (1683), 
were  speedily  followed  to  America  by  other  German  sects  from  the 
Palatinate  or  the  low  countries  on  the  Rhine.  They  were  the  last 
people  to  found  colonies  in  the  New  World,  for  as  a  race  they  had 
but  little  of  the  spirit  of  adventure  in  their  composition. 

Well  equipped  with  implements  for  farming,  the  emigrants  care- 
fully selected  the  fertile  country  near  the  Blue  Mountains,  and,  once 
established  as  colonists,  they  were  joined  by  large  numbers  of  their 


i-IGURE    148. 


JlGUKE    149. 


Figure  150. 


Figure  151. 


161 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  163 

countrymen.  In  1703,  it  is  said  there  were  nearly  three  hundred 
thousand  Germans  in  Penn's  province.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion they  warmly  supported  the  struggle  for  independence- 
Coming  chiefly  from  the  low  countries  along  the  Rhine,  their 
costumes  were  not  especially  picturesque,  but  they  were  distinctive 
in  character,  and  the  fashion  of  them  changed  less  frequently  than 
in  some  other  parts  of  Germany,  so  that  for  many  years  after  their 
arrival  in  America  they  wore  the  quaint  caps  and  head-dresses, 
clumsy  boots,  and  odd  looking  cloaks  of  an  earlier  period.* 

Not  only  in  Pennsylvania,  but  in  New  York,  Maryland,  New  Jer- 
sey, Virginia,  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia,  the  Germans  also  founded 
pastoral  settlements. 

The  clothing  of  the  new  settlers  consisted  of  "home-made  cloth, 
woven  from  tow,  made  from  flax  grown  on  the  virgin  soil."  Their 
costume  did  not  admit  of  much  change,  and  the  men  were  dressed 
chiefly  in  shirt,  trousers,  and  coat.  In  warm  weather  the  shirt  and 
trousers  sufficed;  in  cold  weather  an  additional  top  coat  was  worn 
for  protection.  The  women  wore  short  full  skirts  with  dark  bodices 
laced  over  coarse  white  shifts.  |  Shoes  were  made  to  last  a  long  time, 
and  were  worn  only  when  absolutely  necessary.  Cobblers  travelled 
through  the  country  among  the  settlers  and  mended  their  shoes, 
in  that  way  procuring  a  livelihood. 

There  were  various  sects  among  the  German  colonists:  The 
Dunkers,  whose  doctrine  was  very  much  the  same  as  the  Mennonites, 
who  still  wear  a  peculiar  costume;  the  Schoenkfelders  from  Silesia, 
who  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  in  1734;  the  Moravians,  who  came 
to  Georgia  in  1735  and  founded  in  1790  a  large  and  important  settle- 
ment at  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  still  practice  the  pic- 
turesque rites  of  their  doctrine.  The  Moravians  have  many  interest- 
ing customs,  but  their  costume  is  decidely  conservative,  and  resembles 
the  accepted  Quaker  dress  in  sobriety  of  colour  and  simplicity  of  cut. 

*  See  Trachten  der  Volker,  by  A.  Kretschmer. 


^ 


1 64 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


A  Moravian  community  was  divided  into  a  number  of  choirs  or 
bands.  One  object  carefully  kept  in  view  was  the  avoidance  of 
all  unnecessary  adornment  in  dress.  Among  other  things,  jewelry, 
lace,  parasols,  and  fans  were  forbidden.  The  bonnets  worn  by 
the  Sisters  were  usually  of  white  straw  with  plain  ribbon,  the  colour 
of  which  formed  the  distinction  of  the  choir.  White  was  worn  by 
the  widows,  blue  by  the  married  women,  rose  colour  by  the  unmar- 
ried, and  red  by  girls  from  fourteen  to 
eighteen  years  of  age.  The  male  choirs 
were  not  distinguished  by  any  badges,  but 
they  all  wore  very  simple  clothing,  generally 
gray  or  brown.  Mourning  was  never  worn, 
as  it  was  thought  that  death,  or  "returning 
to  one's  native  land,"  as  Zinzendorf  called 
it,  was  not  a  proper  subject  for  sorrow. 
Two  curiously  fashioned  palls  used  for 
the  funerals  of  children  are  still  preserved 
with  the  archives  of  the  Moravians  at  Lititz.  They  are  made  of 
white   damask  linen  and  the  inscription: 

"Jesus  er  Mein  Heiland  lebt 
Ich  wird  auch 
Das   Leben   schauen," 

is  embroidered  thereon  in  ribbon  gathered  in  a  scallop  pattern  to 
form  letters.  They  are  bound  around  the  edges  with  a  broader 
ribbon — pink  for  the  girls  and  blue  for  the  boys.  Similar  palls  were 
used  for  adults.  A  minute  pillow  used  at  infant  baptisms  is  also 
to  be  seen.  A  wedding  dress  is  still  preserved  of  white  satin  trimmed 
with  gauze  roses  and  ribbon- work  like  the  bag  in  Figure  153.  It 
has  a  short  waist  and  little  puffed  sleeves  and  was  worn  about  1790. 
The  lady  who  wore  it  had  also  a  white  gauze  shawl  made  to  wear 
three-cornered-wise,  with  only  one  corner  embroidered  in  an  elab- 
orate pattern,   which   she  wore  with   a  black  velvet  dress.     She  is 


Figure  152. 
Moravian     Coif     (from     an 
Original  Garment). 


Figure  153 


Figure  154. 


Figure  155. 


Figure  156. 


165 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


167 


described  as  attending  church  in  this  garb,  accompanied  by  a  page 
carrying  her  train  and  a  foot-stove. 

A  portrait  of  Count  Zinzendorf  and  also  one  of  the  Countess 
are  in  possession  of  a  direct  descendant  in  Philadelphia.  The  wife 
wears  a  close-fitting  cap  with  ribbons  of  blue  (the  distinctive  trim- 
ming for  a  Moravian  matron)  (Figure  151)  tied  under  her  chin. 
The  unmarried  women  were  called  Sisters.  They  dressed  usually 
in  white  with  a  "nice  handkerchief"  pinned  about  the  shoulders 
and  a  close-fitting  cap  with  rose-pink  ribbons,  the  hair  all  brushed 
back  out  of  sight. 


Figure  157. 


Figure  158. 


Moravian  Cap  of  Lawn  Worn  over  the  Coif. 

Before  the  Revolution,  earthenware,  paper,  and  linen  were  made 
at  the  cloister  at  Ephrata,  Pennsylvania.  In  the  Sister-House  there 
may  be  seen  at  the  present  day  the  blocks  of  wood  used  instead  of 
irons  for  smoothing  linen.  In  Figures  155  and  156  are  shown  pic- 
tures of  two  white  satin  note  cases,  which  were  worked  before  1790 
for  birthday  gifts,  each  intended  to  hold  a  roll  of  bank-notes.  The 
initials  are  done  in  hair  and  the  flowers  in  silk. 

Count  Lemcke,  the  friend  of  Zinzendorf,  brought  over  the  first 
piano  used  in  America.  It  was  small  enough  to  be  carried  under 
the  arm,  and  he  is  said  to  have  carried  it  with  him  when  invited 
to  evening  parties.  This  piano  may  now  be  seen  in  the  Smithsonian 
Institute  at  Washington. 


i68  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

Count  Zinzendorf,  the  promoter  and  founder  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania settlement  of  Moravians,  lived  for  a  time  in  Philadelphia,  and, 
according  to  his  portraits,  dressed  simply  in  the  fashion  of  his  day 
in  Germany.  The  long  coat  with  many  buttons  and  no  collar  or  flaps, 
white  shirt  sleeves  gathered  into  a  band  at  the  wrist,  and  a  cravat 
or  stock  of  plain  white  linen  remind  one  of  the  portraits  of  William 
Penn  about  fifty  years  earlier.  A  portrait  of  him  in  a  preaching 
gown  is  given  in  Figure  148. 

The  dress  of  the  Seventh  Day  Baptists  is  peculiar  and  interesting. 
It  consisted  of  a  sort  of  cassock  over  which  hung  a  stole,  both  back 
and  front,  and  a  close-fitting  hood  with  large  capes,  or  flaps.  A 
picture  of  one  of  these  hoods  may  be  seen  in  a  scholarly  book,  "The 
German  Pietists  in  Provincial  Pennsylvania,"  by  Mr.  Julius  F. 
Sachse,  where  the  curious  customs  of  the  German  religious  com- 
munities before  1700  are  graphically  described. 


J'lGUKL     l^(.). 


\ 


PART    II 
THE  EIGHTEENTH   CENTURY 


WOMEN'S    DRESS 

1 700- 1 800 

During  the  Time  of 

Queen  Anne,  George  I,  II,  and  III  of  England, 

Presidents  Washington  and  Adams 

of  the  United  States 


CAPRICES  OF  FASHION. 

"The  fickle  head-dress  sinks,   and   now  aspires 
A  towery  front  of  lace  on  branching  wires; 
The  curling  hair  in  tortur'd  ringlets  flows, 
Or  round  the  face  in  labour'd  order  grows. 
How  shall  I  soar,  and  on  unwearying  wing 
Trace  varying  habits  upward  to  their  spring? 
What  force  of  thought,  what  numbers  can  express 
The  inconstant  equipage  of  female  dress? 
How  the  strait  stays  the  slender  waist  constrain. 
How   to   adjust   the   mantua's   sweeping   train? 
What  fancy  can  the  petticoat  surround. 
With  the  capacious  hoop  of  whalebone  bound? 
But  stay  presumptuous  Muse!    nor  boldly  dare 
The  toilette's  sacred  mysteries  declare; 
Let  a  just  distance  be  to  beauty  paid; 
None  here  must  enter  but  the  trusty  maid. 
Should  you  the  wardrobe's  magazine  rehearse, 
And  glossy  manteaus  rustle  in  thy  verse; 
Should  you  the  rich  brocaded  suit  unfold. 
Where  rising  flowers  grow  stiff  with  frosted  gold, 
The  dazzling  Muse  would  from  her  subject  stray, 
And  in  a  maze  of  fashions  lose  her  way." 

— "  The  Fan:' 


'75 


Women's  Dress 

1 700-1 800 


"SnuflE  or  the  fan  supply  each  pause  of  chat." 

N  THE  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  which 
was  the  most  prosperous  and  comfortable  period 
of  Colonial  life  in  America,  fashion  was  a  con- 
spicuous element. 

Merchant  ships  from  China  and  the  Indies 
brought  to  all  the  seaport  towns  rich  silks, 
tissues,  and  embroidered  gauzes,  as  well  as 
beautiful  china  and  tapestry.  These  im- 
ported stuffs  were  known  by  odd  sounding 
names,  corruptions  of  the  places  of  their 
manufacture.  Thus,  for  instance,  we  have 
Nankeen,  made  in  Nankin,  China;  and  calico, 
originally  a  silken  material  first  imported  from  Calicut  in  India. 
Uninterrupted-^intercourse  with  England  and  France  enabled 
the  Colonists  to  keep  up  with  the  prevailing  fashions  in  dress,  which 
at  that  time  became  most  whimsical  and  capricious.  But  as  there 
were  many  people  in  England  who,  like  Mrs.  Hardcastle,  "only  en- 
joyed London  at  second-hand,"  and  depended  on  the  letters  of  their 
friends  for  descriptions  of  the  fashions,  so  many  of  the  leading  families 
in  the  Colonies  also  living  remote  from  seaport  towns  were  content 
to  follow  at  a  distance  the  bewildering  transitions  prescribed  by 
la  mode. 

177 


Figure  161. 
A    Sacque,  Early  Eight- 
eenth Century. 


178  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


Before  the  days  of  fashion  plates,  jointed  dolls  were  dressed  in 
the  latest  style  and  sent  from  Paris  to  London  every  month.  Not 
quite  so  often,  but  at  regular  intervals,  similar  dolls  were  sent  to  the 
Colonies.  The  mantua-makers  of  the  day  copied  them  for  their 
fashionable  patrons.  In  "The  Spectator,"  the  anxiety  caused  by 
the  delay  in  the  arrival  of  one  of  these  dolls  in  London  is  described: 
"I  was  almost  in  despair  of  ever  seeing  a  model  from  the  dear  country, 
when  last  Sunday  I  overheard  a  lady  in  the  next  pew  to  me  whisper  . 
to  another  that  at  the  Seven  Stars  in  King  Street,  Covent  Garden, 
there  was  a  Mademoiselle  completely  dressed  just  come  from  Paris. 
I  was  in  the  utmost  impatience  during  the  remaining  part  of  the 
service,  and  as  soon  as  ever  it  was  over,  having  learnt  the  milliner's 
address,  I  went  directly  to  her  house  in  King  Street,  but  was  told 
that  the  French  lady  was  at  a  person  of  quality's  in  Pall  Mall  and 
would  not  be  back  again  until  late  that  night.  I  was  therefore  obliged 
to  renew  my  visit  this  morning  and  had  then  a  full  view  of  the  dear 
puppet  from  head  to  foot.  You  cannot  imagine  how  ridiculously 
I  find  we  have  all  been  trussed  up  during  the  war  and  how  infinitely 
the  French  dress  excels  ours." 

This  puppet,  we  are  told,  was  dressed  "in  a  cherry  coloured  gown 
and  petticoat  with  a  short  'working'  apron,  her  hair  was  cut  and 
divided  very  prettily  with  several  ribbons  stuck  up  and  down  in  it. 
The  milliner  assured  me  that  her  complexion  was  such  as  is  worn 
by  all  the  ladies  of  the  best  fashion  in  Paris.  Her  head  was  extremely 
high.  Her  necklace  was  of  an  immoderate  length,  being  tied  be- 
fore in  such  a  manner  that  the  two  ends  hung  down  to  her  girdle." 
Though  the  fashion  dolls  were  longer  in  their  voyage  to  the  Colonies, 
they  were  apparently  expected  with  the  same  eagerness  described 
by  the  London  satirist.  Could  the  representative  of  her  tribe  whose 
portrait  may  be  seen  in  Figures  i66  and  167  speak,  she  would  surely 
tell  us  that  she  received  a  warm  welcome  and  was  entertained  by 
the  people  of   "the   best   fashion   in   Philadelphia."     Her  costume 


179 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


I8l 


proclaims  that  she  arrived  during  the  reign  of  George  I,  probably 
about  1720.  Mrs.  Vanderbilt,  in  her  "Social  History  of  Flat  bush," 
says:  "We  have  a  vivid  remembrance  of  the  old  age  of  one  of  these 
fashion-dolls  which  had  been  sent  from  Paris  to  a  fashionable  mantua- 
maker  in  New  York.  When  the  dress  was  changed  as  to  style,  the 
dressmaker  sold  the  doll  to  one  of  her  customers,  and  'Miss  Nancy 
Dawson'  passed  into  the  obscurity  of  humbler  dollies,  who  had  never 
been  sent  as  ministers  plenipotentiary  from  the  Court  of  Fashion." 

V 

REIGN  OF  QUEEN  ANNE 

"Tho'  stiff  with  hoop 
And  armed  with  ribs  of  whale. 


"  Invention  we  bestow, 
To  change  a  flounce,  or  add  a  furbelow."  * 


Queen  Anne  came  to  the  throne  of  England  in  1702,  and  for  the 
first  eight  or  nine  years  of  her  reign,  dress  differed  but  little  from 
that  introduced  under  William  and  Mary  (Figures  38,  42),  but  in 
1 71 1  two  striking  changes  are  noted.  The  extravagantly  high  head- 
dress and  cap,  the  "tower  and  commode,"  so  scathingly  satirized 
in  "The  Spectator,"  gave  way  to  a  simple  arrangement  of  natural 
hair,  noticeable  in  the  portraits  by  Knellerf  of  Queen  Anne  and  the 
ladies  of  her  Court.  This  change  is  applauded  by  Addison,  who 
says:  "I  remember  several  ladies  who  were  once  near  seven  feet 
high,  that  at  present  want  some  inches  of  five." 

We  read  that  these  gigantic  commodes  held  their  place  at  Ver- 
sailles in  spite  of  the  disapproval  of  the  old  monarch,  who  protested 
in  vain  against  towering  head-dresses.  In  17 14,  two  English  ladies 
with  their  hair  worn  low  having  been  presented  at  the  French  Court, 
Louis  XIV  said  to  the  wives  of  the  courtiers,  "If  Frenchwomen 
were  reasonable  beings  they  would  at  once  give  up  their  ridiculous 

*  Rape  of  the  Lock.  t  Born  1646;  died  1723. 


i82  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

head-dresses  and  wear  their  hair  in  the  English  fashion."  How 
could  the  court  ladies  bear  to  be  called  "ridiculous,"  especially  by 
their  king?  They  very  soon  made  their  appearance  in  the  king's 
circle  with  their  hair  dressed  low.*  For  once,  at  least,  England 
set  the  fashion  for  France — a  pleasing  turn  of  the  tables! 

The  next  transformation  was  the  hoop,  invented  by  a  mantua- 
maker  named  Selby,  in  1711,  and  destined  in  one  form  or  another 
to  hold  its  sway  over  feminine  taste  for  many  years.  Dresses  which 
had  been  looped  back  over  contrasting  petticoats  were  hung  out  over 
these  most  awkward  inventions.  At  first  they  were  rather  flat  in 
front  and  in  the  back  (Figure  162),  projecting  out  on  each  side  over 
the  hips  to  such  an  extent  that  the  wearer  was  often  obliged  to  enter 
a  door  sideways.  Mr.  Wingfield,  in  his  "Notes  on  Civil  Costume 
in  England,"  remarks  that  "in  a  sedan  chair  a  lady  would  some- 
times pull  up  her  hoop  on  both  sides  of  her  like  wings."  As  sedan 
chairs  were  used  in  all  the  English  colonies  of  America,  fashionable 
colonial  dames  probably  resorted  to  the  same  expedient. 

The  sacque,  the  name  in  use  for  many  years  to  designate  the 
loose  over-dress,  at  this  time  hung  in  wide  plaits  from  the  shoulders 
to  the  ground  over  the  large  hooped  petticoat.  It  was  open  in  front 
and  worn  over  a  petticoat  and  stomacher  of  the  same  material, 
although  a  contrast  of  colour  and  of  material  was  also  popular.  This 
garment  was  invariably  worn  by  women  of  fashion  in  England 
and  France,  and  in  the  Colonies  for  at  least  half  of  the  century.  It 
survived  several  generations  of  change.  At  first  it  was  long  and 
full  as  in  Figure  161,  then  short  to  the  knees  and  very  full  (Figure 
170);  later  it  became  a  graceful,  stately  garment,  transformed  by 
a  few  curved  lines  and  worn  over  a  laced  stomacher  and  satin 
petticoat  trimmed  with  flounces  (Figure  204).  This  charming  variety 
of  sacque  is  usually  called  a  "Watteau."  Sacques  were  made  in 
all  materials  and  worn  by  all  classes  until  1777. 

*  History  of  Fashion  in  France,  by  Challomcl. 


i83 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


185 


"Let  your  gown  be  a  sacque,  blue,  yellow  or  green, 
And  frizzle  your  elbows  with  ruffles  sixteen; 
Furl  oflf  your  lawn  apron  w,ith  flounces  in  rows, 
Puff  and  pucker  up  knots  on  your  arms  and  your  toes; 
Make  your  petticoat  short,  that  a  hoop  eight  yards  wide 
May  decently  show  how  your  garters  are  ty'd. 


But  mount  on  French  heels  when  you  go  to  a  ball, 
'Tis  the  fashion  to  totter,  and  show  you  can  faU."* 


/ 


Figures  168  and  169  show  the  style  of  hood  in  general  wear  by 
women  of  all  ranks  from  1690  to  1750.     The   original  hood,  lent 


Figure  i68.  Figure  169. 

A  Camlet  Hood;  taken  from  an  Original  Garment  of  about  1702.     Reign  of  Queen  Anne. 

to  US  for  this  book,  is  made  of  drab  camlet  and  lined  with  silk  to 
match,  for  it  belonged  to  a  Colonial  Quakeress.  The  fashionable 
dames  of  that  time  made  them  of  gay  silk,  according  to  contemporary 


*  The  Beau's  Receipt  for  a  Lady's  Dress. 


J 


i86  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

authority.  The  hood,  which  in  the  previous  reign  was  commonly 
of  black  silk,  velvet,  or  sarsenet,  we.  now  find  of  various  colours ;  and 
cherry  coloured  hoods  were  all  the  rage  in  171 2.  A  group  of  ladies 
in  coloured  silk  hoods  at  the  theatre  is  thus  described:  "One  of  them 
was  blue,  another  yellow  and  another  philomot;  the  fourth  was  of  a 
pink  colour  and  the  fifth  was  of  a  pale  green.  I  looked  upon  this 
little  parti-coloured  assembly  as  upon  a  bed  of  tulips."* 

From  advertisements  of  this  date  (17 12)  in  England,  we  can  form 
some  idea  of  the  garments  sent  to  the  Colonies.  In  one  of  the  papers 
we  read  of  a  black  silk  petticoat  with  a  red  and  white  calico  border, 
a  red  and  dove  coloured  damask  gown  flowered  with  large  trees,  a 
yellow  satin  apron  trimmed  with  white  Persian  muslin,  and  head- 
cloths  with  crow-foot  edging. 

An  Isabella  coloured  kincob  gown  flowered  with  green  and  gold; 
a  dark  coloured  cloth  gown  and  petticoat  with  two  silver  orrices; 
a  purple  and  gold  atlas  gown;  a  scarlet  and  gold  atlas  petticoat  edged 
with  silver;  an  underpetticoat  edged  with  gold;  a  black  velvet  petti- 
coat; an  aflejah  petticoat  striped  with  green,  gold  and  white;  and 
clogs  laced  with  silver  are  also  mentioned. 

In  the  same  year  were  advertised  "a  green  silk  knit  waistcoat 
with  gold  and  silver  flowers  all  over  it,  and  fourteen  yards  of  gold 
and  silver  thick  lace  on  it;  and  a  petticoat  of  rich  strong  flowered 
satin,  red  and  white  all  in  great  flowers  or  leaves,  and  scarlet  flowers 
with  black  specks  brocaded  in,  raised  high  like  velvet  or  shag."f 

A  lady's  riding  suit  of  this  period  is  described  as  consisting  of 
"a  coat  and  waistcoat  of  blue  camlet  trimmed  and  embroidered 
with  silver,  with  a  petticoat  of  the  same  stuff,  by  which  alone  her  sex 
was  recognized,  as  she  wore  a  smartly  cocked  beaver  hat,  edged  with 
silver  and  rendered  more  sprightly  by  a  feather,  while  her  hair,  curled 
and  powdered,  hung  to  a  considerable  length  down  her  shoulders, 
tied  like  that  of  a  rakish  young  gentleman,  with  a  long  streaming 

*  '^^^  Spectator.  f  Pictorial  History  of  England. 


sFlGURE   170. 


187 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  189 

scarlet  riband."  *    But  powder  was  not  in  general  use  by  ladies  at 
this  time. 

In  Queen  Anne's  day  patches  meant  more  than  one  would  sup- 
pose; they  were  not  used  simply  to  enhance  the  beauty  of  the  com- 
plexion, but  were  worn  as  political  badges.  The  ladies  with  Whig 
sympathies  wore  these  patches  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  face,  the 
Tories  on  the  right.  Mr.  Andrew  Lang  has  suggested  that  a  revival 
of  this  fashion  in  England  during  the  South  African  War  would  have 
greatly  facilitated  conversation.  "If  Pro-Boer  ladies  would  only 
profess  their  opinion  by  way  of  patches,  we  should  know  where  we 
are  and  could  make  no  such  mistakes  as  now  occasionally  occur  in 
conversation." 

Patch  boxes  (Figure  159)  were  carried,  filled  with  patches  of 
every  shape;  under  the  lid  of  the  box  was  placed  a  small  glass  to  assist 
the  fair  lady  in  adjusting  them.  These  boxes  were  made  of  silver, 
ivory,  and  tortoise  shell,  and  were  often,  like  the  snuff-boxes  of  the 
same  period,  very  costly. 

"That  little  modish  machine,"  as  Addison  called  the  fan,  was 
an  indispensable  article  of  fashionable  dress.  Flory,  in  his  "History 
of  the  Fan,"  says:  "We  can  scarcely  imagine  the  rouged  and  pow- 
dered beauty  of  the  eighteenth  century  without  the  fascinating  trin- 
ket in  her  hand.  Both  in  England  and  in  France  it  had  gradually 
become  the  mirror  of  the  life  and  pleasure  of  the  time.  Political 
and  social  events,  literature,  music,  and  the  fashions  and  follies  of 
the  day,  were  depicted  upon  them.  Some  were  covered  with  words 
and  bars  from  operas,  or  with  scenes  from  popular  plays,  others 
bore  the  rules  of  various  games,  within  decorative  borders  of  playing 
cards."  A  picture  of  a  fan  painted  by  Gamble  representing  a  scene 
from  Ovid  is  given  in  Figure  241.  "There  were  calendar  fans, 
fortune-telling  fans,  fans  with  riddles  and  charades,  political  and 
social  caricatures."  One  is  noted  representing  the  separation  of 
America  from  England. 

*  The  Spectator. 


Figure  171. — Shows  a  gown  of  yellow  damask  brocade  worn  over  a  blue  quilted 

satin  petticoat.     Reign  of  George  I. 
Figure  172. — Shows  a  white   satin  wedding    gown  worn    by  Mrs.  St.  Clair  in 

Philadelphia,  1760. 
Figure  173. — Picture  of  a  blue  lutestring  gown  worn  by  the  same  lady. 
Figure  174. — Is  a  very  interesting  dress  of  buflF  chine  silk-;  with  coloured  flowers, 

worn  by  Lady  Stuart  in  the  Barbadoes  Colony  in  the  reign  of   Queen  Anne. 
(Photographed  from  original  garments.) 


Figure  171. 


LiGUKE     172. 


Figure  173. 


Figure  174. 


191 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  193 

About  1720  temple  spectacles  came  into  use;  afterward  "bridge 
spectacles,"  without  any  side  supporters  and  held  on  solely  by  nip- 
ping the  bridge  of  the  nose.  Perspective  glasses,  with  long  handles 
of  tortoise  shell  or  silver,  were  carried  by  gallants  in  London, 

A  mask  of  black  velvet  (Figure  194)  was  often  worn  in  winter 
with  a  silver  mouth-piece  to  keep  it  on ;  green  silk  masks  were  used 
in  summer  for  riding  in  the  sun  on  horseback,  while  for  young  girls 
in  the  Colonies  they  were  made  of  linen  and  tied  on  under  their  hoods. 

REIGN  OF  GEORGE  II 

At  this  time  hooped  petticoats  were  less  exaggerated.  Scarlet 
cloaks  with  hoods,  called  ''cardinals,"  were  worn  out-of-doors 
(Figure  175).  The  hair  was  still  worn  low  and  was  often  covered  by 
a  much  frilled  cap  or  flat  hat  of  moderate  dimensions  (Figure  195). 
During  the  next  decade  the  caps  became  smaller,  but  the  hats  larger 
(Figure  216). 

The  use  of  powder,  according  to  Mr.  Wingfield,  was  never 
general  in  England,  although  it  was  worn  on  all  occasions  of  cere- 
mony in  the  reigns  of  George  II  and  George  III  by  both  sexes, 
and  was  extremely  fashionable  from  1760  to  1776;  but  it  was  not 
habitually  worn  in  home  life  with  everyday  costumes. 

In  1735  we  notice  a  change  in  the  shape  of  the  hoop,  which  was 
now  made  to  project  all  around  like  the  wheel  farthingale,  the  petti- 
coat being  worn  short  and  the  gown  without  a  train  (Figure  196). 

Lace  tippets  were  now  much  worn,  some  having  diamond  solitaires 
to  hook  them  together.  Very  broad  laced  tuckers,  with  diamond 
necklaces  and  earrings,  were  popular.  Diamond  and  paste  buckles 
were  also  very  fashionable. 

Mrs.  Delany,  who  has  been  called  not  only  the  woman  of  fashion 
in  her  own  age,  but  "the  woman  of  fashion  of  all  ages,"  records  some 
charming  costumes.  The  following  is  dated  1738  (when  hoops  were 
large): 


194 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


"After  much  persuasion  and  many  debates  within  myself  I  con- 
sented to  go  with  Lady  Dysart  to  the  Prince's  birthday,  humbly 
dres't  in  my  pink  Damask,  white  and  gold  handkerchief,  plain  green 

ribbon  and  Lady  Sun- 
derland's buckles  for 
my  stays."  The  stays, 
evidently  meaning  the 
stomacher,  were  on  this 
occasion  straps  of  white 
silk  covered  with  a  lac- 
ing through  which  a 
handkerchief  was 
passed.  This  costume 
is  not  unlike  the  yellow 
damask  gown  (Figures 
164  and  183)  worn  in 
Philadelphia  in  1740. 

Head-dresses  at  this 
time  were  made  of  three 
lace  ruffles  tucked  to 
stand  up  in  front. 
"Caskades  of  ribands" 
and  artificial  flowers 
were  used  as  trimming. 
They  were  worn  over 
powdered  hair  pinned 
up  quite  short  in  the 
back,  and  sometimes  large  curls  were  worn  hanging  down  on  the 
shoulder,  as  in  Figure  198. 

In  another  letter  Mrs.  Delany  says:  "I  go  to-morrow  to  pay  my 
salutations  to  their  Royal  Highnesses  at  Carlton  House  in  my  Irish 
green  Damask  and  my  worked  head;  on  the  birthday,  which  is  Tues- 


/ 


/ 


Figure  175. 

Lady  in  a  Cardinal  (after  Hogarth,  Early  Eighteenth 

Century). 


I 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


195 


day  next,  in  a  flowered  silk,  I  bought  since  I  came  to  town,  of  a 
pale  deer-coloured  ground,  the  flowers  mostly  purple,  and  mixed  with 
white  feathers.  I  think  it  extremely  pretty  and  very  modest."  The 
latter  is  not  unlike  the  Colonial  gown  represented  in  Figures 
218,  230.  "Ruffles  are  much  the  same,  large  at  the  elbows  and 
pretty  narrow  at  the  bottom.  I  think  they  pin  their  gowns  rather 
closer  than  before;  hoops  are  as  flat  as  if  made  of  pasteboard,  and  as 
stiff,  the  shape  sloping  from  the  hips  and  spreading  at  the  bottom 
(Figures  164  and  183),  enormous  but  not  so  ugly  as  the  square  hoops 
(Figure  162).  There  are  hopes  that  they  will  soon  be  reduced  to  a 
very  small  size.  Heads  are  variously  dressed,  pompons  with  some 
accompaniment  of  feathers,  ribbons  or  flowers;  lappets  in  all  sorts 
of  curli-murlis ;  long  hoods  are  worn  close  under  the  chin,  or  tied 
with  bows  and  ends  behind." 


Figure  176. 


Figure  177. 
Caps,  1744. 


Figure  178.       Figure  179. 


FlGXTRE  180. 
Caps,  1745. 


Figure  181. 


Long  aprons  were  worn  in  1740,  then  short  ones,  and  before  1752 
long  ones  again.  In  the  same  year  (1740)  we  hear  of  a  successor  to 
the  hood  under  the  name  of  "capuchin." 

The  description  which  Mrs.  Delany  gives  of  a  marvellous  toilet 
worn  by  the  Duchess  of  Queensbury,  in  1741,  is  worth  transcribing 
as  a  curious  specimen  of  needle- work.  "It  was  of  white  satin  em- 
broidered, the  bottom  of  the  petticoat  brown  hills  covered  with  all 
sorts  of  weeds,  and  every  breadth  had  an  old  stump  of  a  tree  that 
ran  up  almost  to  the  top  of  the  petticoat  broken  and  ragged  and 
worked  with  brown  chenille,  round  which  twined  nasturtiums,  honey- 
suckle, periwinkle  and  afl  sorts  of  twining  flowers,  which  spread 


196  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


and  covered  the  petticoat;  vines  with  the  leaves  variegated  as  you 
have  seen  them  by  the  sun,  all  rather  smaller  than  nature,  which 
made  them  look  very  light.  The  robings  and  facings  were  like  green 
banks  covered  with  all  sorts  of  weeds,  and  the  sleeves  and  rest  of 
the  gown  loose  twining  branches  of  the  same  sort  as  those  on  the  pet- 
ticoat. Many  of  the  leaves  were  finished  with  gold,  and  part  of  the 
stumps  of  the  trees  looked  like  gilding  of  the  sun.  I  never  saw  a 
piece  of  work  so  prettily  fancied  and  am  quite  angry  with  myself 
for  not  having  the  same  thought,  for  it  is  infinitely  handsomer  than 
mine  and  could  not  have  cost  much  more." 

French  curls  (Figure  196),  the  mode  in  1745,  were  described 
as  looking  like  eggs  strung  in  order  on  a  wire  tied  around  the 
head.  They  were  not  always  false,  but  could  be  made  of  the 
natural  hair.  The  crtpe  toupee  was  also  a  contemporary  fashion. 
Later  came  in  the  Italian  curls  (Figure  184),  which  had  the  effect 
of  scollop  shells  and  were  arranged  back  from  the  face  in  several 
shapes.  In  the  tete  de  mouton,  or  tete  moutonee,  the  hair  was  curled 
close  all  over  the  back  of  the  head. 

In  the  summer  of  1745  Gipsy  straw  hats  appeared,  being  tied 
under  the  chin  (Figure  195). 

We  find  that  in  1745  the  hoop  had  increased  at  the  sides  and  di- 
minished in  front;  and  a  pamphlet  was  published  in  that  year  en- 
titled "The  Enormous  Abomination  of  the  Hoop  Petticoat  as  the 
Fashion  now  is"  (Figure  184).  The  hoop  of  this  period  was  a  great 
bell-shaped  petticoat  or  skirt  of  the  dress  stiffened  by  whalebone. 
The  material  was  placed  directly  upon  it,  so  that,  being  a  part  of  the 
gown  itself,  it  was  customary  to  speak  of  "a  damask  hoop"  or  "a 
brocade  hoop." 

Deportment  was  quite  as  important  as  dress  in  the  fashionable 
world  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Those  were  the  days  of  back- 
boards and  of  most  unyielding  stays. 

The  expression  "she  bridles  well,"  which  occurs  in  letters  of  this 


197 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  199 

time  (1747),  alludes  to  a  manner  of  carriage  which  is  now  almost 
unknown.  "One  of  the  first  lessons  in  deportment  at  that  period 
was  to  hold  up  the  head  on  entering  a  room,  and  to  keep  the  chin 
in,  which  is  expressed  by  'bridling,'  and  then,  having  curtseyed 
at  the  door,  to  advance  deliberately  towards  the  person  who  had  the 
first  claim  to  greeting — to  sink  low  gradually — to  rise  slowly  and 
gracefully."* 

The  Boston  ''Evening  Post"  advertised  in  November,  1755, 
"horse  hair  quilted  coats  to  wear  with  negligees." 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  exact  limitations  of  a  negligee. 


1721+  175°+- 

Figure  i86.  Figure  187. 

Hooped  Petticoats. 

It  was  worn  in  full  dress  and  was  another  variety  of  the  sacque.  The 
advertisement  quoted  suggests  an  outdoor  garment,  a  quilted  coat 
worn  under  it  for  warmth. 

"  Put  on  her  a  sheperdee 
A  short  sack  or  negligee 
Ruffled  high  to  keep  her  warm 
Eight  or  ten  about  an  arm."f 

A  garment  which  became  very  popular  about  1756  was  a  cloak 
made  of  satin  or  velvet,  black  or  any  colour,  lined  or  trimmed  with 
silk,  satin,  or  fur,  according  to  the  fancy,  with  slits  for  the  arms  to 

*  Mrs.  Woolsey's  Notes  to  Autobiography  of  Mrs.  Delany. 
t  Poem  printed  in  New  York,  1756. 


200 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


pass  through,  and  a  hood  Kke  a  capuchin.  These  cloaks  were  worn 
by  everybody  and  were  called  pompadours  (Figure  216). 

Night-gowns  or  night-rails  correspond  to  our  modern  dressing- 
gowns  and  were  worn  without  hoops.  One  is  represented  in  Figure 
243  with  a  short  cape  over  a  skirt  instead  of  a  sacque. 

An  historian  of  Connecticut  tells  us  that  "the  dress  of  the  middle 
period  can  hardly  be  praised  for  its  simplicity  or  economy.  In  the 
upper  circles  it  was  rich  and  extravagant,  and  among  the  females 


Figure  i88. 
Stays,  1770. 

of  all  classes  there  was  a  passion  for  gathering  and  hoarding  articles 
of  attire.  It  was  an  object  of  ambition  to  have  a  chest  full  of  linen, 
a  pillow-beer  of  stockings,  and  other  articles  in  proportion,  laid  by." 
The  inventory  of  the  effects  of  Mrs.  White  of  Norwich,*  taken 
August  16,  1757,  contained  "gowns  of  brown  duroy,  striped  stuff, 
plain  stuff,  black  silk,  crape,  calico  and  blue  camlet;  a  scarlet  cloak, 
blue  cloak,  satin  flowered  mantle,   and  furbelow  scarf;    a  woolen 

*  History  of  Norwich,  by  F.  M.  Caulkins. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


20I 


Figure  il 
Clog,  Eighteenth  Century  (from  an  Old  Print). 


petticoat  with  calico  border,  a  camlet  riding-hood,  long  silk  hood, 
velvet  hood,  white  hood  trimmed  with  lace,  a  silk  bonnet,  and  nineteen 
caps;  a  cambrick  laced  handkerchief,  silk  do,  linen  do,  sixteen  hand- 
kerchiefs in  all;  a  muslin  laced  apron,  flowered  laced  apron,  green 
taffety  apron,  fourteen  aprons 
in  all;  a  silver  riband,  silver 
girdle  and  blue  girdle,  four 
pieces  of  flowered  satin,  a  par- 
cel of  crewel,  and  a  woman's 
fan;  a  gold  necklace,  death's 
head  gold  ring,  plain  gold  ring, 
sett  of  gold  sleeve  buttons,  gold 
locket,  silver  hair  peg,  silver  cloak  clasps,  and  a  stone  button  set  in 
silver;  a  large  silver  tankard,  a  silver  cup  with  two  handles,  a  cup 
with  one  handle,  and  a  large  silver  spoon." 

We  know  that  a  salmon-coloured  tabby 
made  with  a  sacque  and  coat  (probably, 
in  this  case,  waistcoat  or  stomacher)  was 
the  correct  thing  in  1759,  as  an  order  for 
one  for  his  wife  is  preserved  in  Washing- 
ton's own  writing.  In  the  same  order  we 
read  of  "a  cap,  handkerchief  and  ruffles  of 
Brussels  or  Point  lace  to  be  worn  with  the  above  negligee,  to  cost  ;i^2o." 

Also  two  fine  flowered  aprons 

One  pair  women's  white  silk  hose 

Four  pairs  thread  hose 

Six  pairs  women's  fine  cotton  hose 

One  pair  black  satin  shoes  y 

One  pair  white  satin  shoes  of  smallest  5's 

Four  pairs  calamanco  shoes 

One  fashionable  hat  or  bonnet 

Six  pairs  women's  best  kid  gloves 

Eight  pairs  women's  best  mits 

One  dozen  round  silk  laces 


Figure  190. 
A  Patten  (from  the  Origi- 
nal in  the  Museum  at  Memo- 
rial Hall,  Philadelphia). 


202 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


One  black  mask 

One  dozen  most  fashionable  pocket  handkerchiefs 

One  piece  of  narrow  white  satin  ribbon  with  pearl  edge 

Four  pieces  of  binding  tape 

Six  thousand  miniken  pins 

Six  thousand  short  whites 

Six  thousand  corking  pins 

One  thousand  hair  pins. 

The  following  note  from  Washington's  manuscripts  shows  the 
relationship  between  a  sacque  and  a  night-gown:  "Mrs.  Wash- 
ington sends  home  a  green  sack  to  get  cleaned,  or  fresh  dyed  of  the 
same  colour;  made  into  a  handsome  sack  again,  would  be  her  choice, 
but  if  the  cloth  wont  afford  that,  then  to  be  thrown  into  a  genteel 
night-gown."*  The  latter  being  the  old-fashioned  name  for  a 
dressing-gown. 

REIGN  OF  GEORGE  III 

In  1760  gowns  began  to  be  worn  with  a  close-fitting  bodice  ending 
in  a  long  point  in  the  back  (Figures  209,  210,  211,  and    213),  the 

skirt   sewn   on  with   a  multiplicity  of  fine 

gathers,  still  opening  over  a  petticoat,  the 

latter    often    beautifully    quilted.     Aprons 

Figure  191.  were  worn,  too,  according   to   the  dictates 

Riding-hat  of  Fawn-col-       ^^    ^^  Occasionally    stomacher    and 

oured  Felt.     The   original   is  -'  •' 

in  the  Museum  at  Memorial       apron  matched,  as  in  Figure  206.     Sleeves 

Hall,  Philadelphia.     Reigns  of  .,,  .  1  •  1  m  e     ^ 

George  II  and  III.  wcrc    Still    trimmed    With   ruffles   01   lace, 

but  often  were  edged  with  narrow  cuffs 
turned  back,  the  lace  falling  from  underneath  (Figures  205  and  230). 
Every  lady  of  fashion  wore  an  etui,  or  ornamental  case,  hanging 
from  the  waist,  intended  to  hold  thimble,  scissors,  and  scent  bottle. 
The  snuff-box,  the  pomander,  a  box  with  perforated  holes  in  the  lid 
and  used  for  perfumes,  and  the  pouncet  box,  of  a  similar  nature,  were 
among  the  elegant  accessories  of  the  toilet  of  the  eighteenth  century 

*  Writings  of  George  Washington,  edited  by  Wm.  C.  Ford. 


W     X)       o 


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bb  fe  OS 


o 
o 


,£3 
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U 


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Ah   -g 


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203 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  205 

for  both  sexes.  (See  Figure  159.)  Physicians  made  use  of  the  po- 
manders to  carry  disinfectants;  sometimes  they  had  them  inserted  in 
the  handle  of  their  canes,  and  a  tap  on  the  floor  as  they  entered  a 
sick-room  would  scatter  the  powder  through  the  atmosphere. 

The  recipe  books  of  the  time,  written  by  each  housewife  for  her 
own  use  and  pleasure,  have  in  many  cases  been  handed  down  to 
posterity.  Turning  over  the  yellowed  leaves  of  one  written  in  the 
careful  penmanship  of  the  eighteenth  century  by  a  notable  New  York 
dame,  an  aroma  of  agreeable  spices  seems  to 
emanate  from  the  pages  as  we  read  the  following: 

"Pot  Pourri 
"Dry  your  violets  in  a  sunny  window.  Have 
ready  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  finely  powdered 
bay  salt.  When  the  roses  are  out,  gather  all 
kinds,  and  dry  in  the  same  way.  Then  add 
them  to  the   violets,  putting   layers  of   salt   be-  figx;reTq4 

tween  each  layer.  a  Riding-mask,  Eight- 

/-ii  iiiri  1  11  eenth  Century. 

"Gather  a  good   deal   of  lavendar,  also  the 
leaves  of  the  verbena,  and,  if  possible,  myrtle  and  orange  blossoms. 
After  all  the  flowers  and  salt  have  filled  the  jar,  its  contents  should 
be  constantly  stirred  for  a  month." 

Here  is  another  recipe  from  the  same  book: 

"Take  a  Seville  orange,  and  stick  it  as  full  as  possible  of  cloves. 
Put  it  in  a  jar.  Pick  the  rose  leaves  when  full  blown,  but  before  they 
are  ready  to  drop,  and  spread  the  petals  to  dry  in  the  sun.  When 
dry  mix  them  with  a  little  bay  salt,  some  cinnamon,  ground  cloves, 
lemon  peel,  and  powdered  musk.     Stir  for  some  time  until  well  mixed." 

Old  India  jars  filled  with  pot  pourri  stood  in  almost  every  house, 
and  lent  a  subtle  fragrance  to  the  draperies  and  carpets.  This  custom 
was  of  the  same  origin  as  the  use  of  pomanders. 

Research  on  the  subject  of  wedding  veils  at  this  period  has  pro- 


2o6  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


duced  nothing  more  satisfactory  than  the  following  passage  from 

Mr.  J.  Cordy  Jeffreson's   ''Brides  and  Bridals": 

"The  origin  of  the  English  bride's  veil  is  one  of  those  disputed 

questions  which  will  never  be  settled.    What  of  late  years  became 

the    most    conspicuous  feature   of    her   costume    may   be   nothing 

more  than  a  milliner's  substitute  for  the  flowing  tresses,  which  in  old 

times  concealed   not  a  few  of   the  bride's  personal  attractions  and 

covered  her  face  when  she  knelt  at   the  altar.      This    opinion  is 

supported    by  the  fact  that  Elizabeth   Stuart,  daughter  of    James 

I,  was  not  thought  to  require   an  artificial  veil,  since   nature   had 

given  her  such  an  abundance  of  circumfluent  hair.     Heyward  says 

of  this  wedding: 

'At  length  the  blushing  bride  comes  with  her 
hair  disheveled  aslant  her  shoulders.' 

"It  may  be  a  mere  amplification  of  the  coif  which  medieval  brides 
used  to  wear  between  the  garland  and  the  hair,  of  such  a  coif,  for 
instance,  as  Margaret  Tudor  wore  under  the  coronet  at  her  wedding 
with  the  King  of  Scotland." 

In  the  early  years  of  the  reign  of  George  III  the  veil  and  wreath  fell 
so  completely  out  of  vogue  that  they  were  for  a  time  seldom  seen  on 
brides  of  the  "best  ton."  Horace  Walpole,  an  earnest  social  reformer 
in  all  trivial  matters,  was  pleased  by  the  neglect  of  old  matrimonial 
forms.  He  mentions  that  his  niece  Maria  had  never  appeared  more 
lovely  than  when  he  watched  the  alternate  blushes  and  paleness  of 
her  unveiled  face  during  her  celebration  of  marriage  with  the  Earl 
of  Waldegrave.  The  bride  wore  a  hat  and  a  white  and  silver  gown, 
and  when  the  marriage  service  had  been  performed  in  the  drawing- 
room  of  a  private  mansion  in  Pall  Mall  by  Dr.  Keppel,  the  bridal 
party  sat  down  to  dinner,  which  was  over  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  eve- 
ning. "It  was,"  wrote  Walpole  to  George  Montague,  "as  sensible 
a  weddmg  as  ever  was."  This  wedding  took  place  in  the  last  year 
of  the  reign  of  George  II. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


209 


In  the  Colonies  the  veil  does  not  seem  to  have  been  a  necessary 
article  of  a  bride's  costume.     Several  beautiful  wedding  gowns  which 
have  been  handed  down  with  care 
from  early  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury are  of  coloured  brocade  or 
damask  (Figures  184,  213). 

Orange-blossoms  were  not 
used  as  wedding  flowers  until  a 
comparatively  modern  date, 
although  orange  trees  were  grow- 
ing in  England  at  the  time  of 
Henry  VIII. 

We  read  of  an  English  bride  * 
in  1769  who  wore  "a  sacque  and 
petticoat  of  the  most  expensive 
brocaded  white  silk,  resembling 
network  enriched  with  small 
flowers,  which  displayed  in  the 
variations  of  the  folds  a  most  deli- 
cate shade  of  pink;  a  deep  and 
pointed  stomacher  trimmed  with 
gimp;  sleeves  closely  fitted  the 
elbow,  from  which  hung  three 
point-lace  ruffles  of  great  depth ; 
a  handkerchief  of  the  same  lace 
covered  the  shoulders,  fastened 
in  front  with  a  large  bow  of  white 
satin  ribbon  and  a  bunch  of  deli- 
cate pink  rosebuds.  A  triple  row 
of  pearls  tied  behind  with  a  nar- 
row white  satin  ribbon  completed 


Figure  199. 
Maid  in  Sacque,   Apron,  and  Clogs. 
.Eighteenth  Century. 


Middle 


*  Mrs.  Joseph  Nollekens,  wife  of  the  noted  sculptor. 


2IO 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


I 


the  costume,  although  I  beUeve  a  lace  apron,  previously  worn  by 
the  bride's  mother,  was  put  on,  but  the  fashion  of  wearing  aprons 
in  full  dress  had  gone  out  at  that  date. 

"The  hair  was  arranged  over  a  high  cushion,  with  large  curls  on 
either  side,  and  ornamented  by  a  small  cap  of  point  lace  with  plaited 
flaps  to  match  the  ruffles  in  the  sleeves.  'sThe  shoes  were  like  the  gown 
and  were  ornamented  with  spangles  arid  square  buckles  with  heels 
three  and  one-half  inches  in  height." 

Lady  Susan  O'Brien,  living  in  the  Colonies,  was  kept  informed 
by  her  cousin.  Lady  Sarah  Lennox,  of  the  latest  changes  in  fashion  in 
England.     In  1766  she  says:* 

"I  think  that  by  degrees  the  French  dress  is  coming  into  fashion, 
tho'  'tis  almost  impossible  to  make  the  ladies  understand  that  heads 
bigger  than  one's  body  are  ugly;  it  is  growing  the  fashion  to  have 
the  heads  moutonee.  I  have  cut  off  my  hair  and  find  it  very  con- 
venient  in    the    country   without   powder,   because    my  hair    curls 

naturally I  wear  it  very  often  with  three  rows  of  curls 

behind  and  the  rest  smooth  with  a  fringe  toupe  and  a  cap ;  that  is,  en 
paresseuse.    Almost  every  body  powders  now,  and  wears  a  little  hoop. 

"Hats  are  mostly  left  off;  the  hair  down  on  the  forehead  belongs 
to  the  short  waists  [waists  were  apparently  very  long  at  the  time 
this  letter  was  written,  1766],  and  is  equally  vulgar  with  poppons 
[or  pompons],  trimmings,  beads,  garnets,  flying  caps  and  false  hair. 

"To  be  perfectly  genteel,  you  must  be  dressed  thus:  Your  hair  must 
not  be  cut  off,  for  'tis  much  too  pretty,  but  it  must  be  powdered,  curled 
in  very  small  curls  and  neat,  but  it  must  be  high  before  and  give  your 
head  the  look  of  a  sugar  loaf  a  little.  The  rest  of  the  hair  must  be 
drawn  up  straight  and  not  frizzled  at  all  for  half  an  inch  above  the 
rest.  You  must  wear  no  cap  and  only  little,  little  flowers  dab'd  in  the 
left  side;  the  only  feather  permitted  is  a  black  or  white  suUane  perched 
up  on  the  left  side  and  your  diamond  feather  against  it  (Figure  218). 

*  Lady  Sarah  Lennox  to  Lady  Susan  O'Brien  in  America,  January  9th,  1766. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  213 

"A  broad  puffed  ribbon  collier  (Figure  206),  with  a  tippet  ruff, 
or  only  a  little  black  handkerchief  very  narrow  over  the  shoulders; 
your  stays  very  high  and  pretty  tight  at  bottom,  your  gown  trimmed 
with  the  same  straight  down  the  robings,  and  a  narrow  flounce  at  bot- 
tom to  button  with  a  compere  to  be  loose  at  the  fore  part  of  your 
robing.  The  sleeves  long  and  loose,  the  waist  very  long,  the  flounces 
and  ruffles  of  a  decent  length  not  too  long,  nor  so  hideously  short  as 
they  now  wear  them.  No  trimming  on  the  sleeve  but  a  ribbon  knot 
tied  to  hang  on  the  ruffles." 

Artificial  flowers  were  worn  in  full  dress.  We  learn  from  the 
newspapers  of  the  day  that  "the  biziness  of  making  flowers"  was 
a  thriving  one  in  Boston.  Teachers  in  the  art  of  flower  making  are 
often  advertised  in  the  Boston  papers.  We  read,  too,  that  Benjamin 
Franklin's  sister  and  her  daughter  made  a  practical  use  of  this  ac- 
complishment in  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Mecom, 
dated  Boston,  1766: 

"And  I  have  a  small  request  to  ask.  It  is  to  procure  me  some 
fine  old  linen  or  cambric  dyed  into  bright  colours,  such  as  red  and 
green,  a  little  blue  but  chiefly  red,  for  with  all  my  art  and  good  old 
Benjamin's  memorandums,  I  cannot  make  them  good  colours.  My 
daughter  Jenny,  with  a  little  of  my  assistance,  has  taken  to  making 
flowers  for  ladies'  heads  and  bosoms  with  pretty  good  acceptance, 
and  if  I  can  procure  these  colours,  I  am  in  hope  we  shall  get  some- 
thing by  it  worth  our  pains.  It  is  no  matter  how  old  the  linen  is. 
I  am  afraid  you  never  had  any  bad  enough." 

From  a  letter  of  Mrs.  Mecom  to  Mrs.  Franklin  dated  February 
27th,  1766,  we  take  the  following:  "We  are  now  supplied  not  only 
with  necessary  but  creditable  clothing,  for  brother  has  sent  each  of 
us  a  printed  cotton  gown,  a  quilted  coat,  a  bonnet,  each  of  the  girls 
a  cap  and  some  ribbons.  Mine  is  very  suitable  for  me  to  wear  now, 
being  black  and  purple  cotton,  but  the  girls'  are  light  coloured."* 

*  Letters  to  Benjamin  Franklin  from  his  Family  and  Friends,  1751-1790. 


214  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


The  name  bonnet,  from  the  French  bonnet,  was  often  used  through- 
out the  eighteenth  century  in  speaking  of  caps  and  hoods,  but  the 
first  actual  bonnet  was  the  successor  of  the  Gipsy  hat  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  century,  and  in  1798  we  read  that  "straw  bonnets  were 
in  full  fashion." 

A  New  England  authority  tells  us  that  "cushions  stuffed  with 
wool  and  covered  with  silk,  used  in  dressing  the  hair,  made  a  calash 
(Figures  222,  226,  227)  necessary  instead  of  a  bonnet.  This  was 
large  and  wide,  and  an  awkward  article  of  attire,  but  often  shrouding 
a  health-beaming  face  in  its  depths,  needing  no  other  ornament  than 
its  own  good  humored  smile."* 

A  gentleman  of  the  courteous  old  school  remarked  of  this  fashion 
of  the  calash,  "It  was  like  looking  down  a  green  lane  to  see  a  rose 
blooming  at  the  end." 

From  the  "History  of  Norwich"  quoted  above  we  give  the  fol- 
lowing description:  "Women  of  mature  age  wore  close  linen  caps 
(Figure  253).  Parasols  and  umbrellas  were  unknown  or  of  rare 
occurrence,  but  a  fan  nearly  a  foot  and  a  half  in  length,  and  spread- 
ing like  the  train  of  a  peacock,  was  often  carried  to  keep  off  the 
sun  as  well  as  to  catch  the  air.  At  one  period  feathers  were  much 
worn  upon  the  head,  surmounting  a  high  turban  of  gauze  or  muslin 
raised  on  wire  and  adorned  also  with  ribbon. 

"A  lady  in  full  dress  for  great  occasions  displayed  a  rich  brocade 
with  open  skirt  and  trained  petticoat  trimmed  with  lace;  an  em- 
broidered stomacher  and  full  ruffles  at  the  elbows.  Hood  and  scarf 
were  of  silk.  No  sumptuary  laws  restrained  the  feminine  taste  for 
rich  attire  at  this  period.  When  the  ladies  walked  out,  they  threw 
the  end  of  the  train  over  the  right  arm.  The  foot  was  dressed  in  a 
silk  stocking,  a  sharp-toed  slipper,  often  made  of  embroidered  satin, 
and  with  a  high  heel "  (Figure  240).  In  winter  beaver  hats  were  worn 
over  a  lace  cap,  as  in  Figure  216,  or  with  the  brim  curved  downwards 

*  History  of  Norwich,  by  F.  M.  Caulkins. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  217 

by  broad  ribbon  strings  tied  under  the  chin  (Figure  195).  Loose 
cloaks  trimmed  with  fur  were  the  fashion  in  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  also  long  Roquelaures  with  short  capes  or  a 
hood  on  the  shoulders,  like  those  worn  by  the  men. 

In  Massachusetts,  we  are  told,  "ladies  wore  caps,  long  stiff  stays, 
and  high-heeled  shoesV  Their  bonnets  (hoods)  were  of  silk  or  satin, 
and  usually  black.     Gowns  were  extremely  long-waisted  with  tight 
sleeves.     Another  fashion  was  a  very  short  sleeve  with  an  immense 
frill  at  the  elbow.    A  large  flexible  hoop,  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter, 
was  for  some  time  quilted  into  the  hem  of  the  gown,  making  an  im- 
mense display  of  the  lower  person.     A  large  round  cushion,  stuffed 
with  cotton  or  hair  and  covered  with  black  crape,  was  laid  across 
the    head,    over    which    the    hair 
was   combed   back  and    fastened.     ' 
It   was  almost  the  universal  cus- 
tom, also,  for  women  to  wear  gold 
beads,     thirty-nine     little     hollow 
globes,   about  the   size  of  a  pea,         """""Figure  208. 

strung  on  a   thread  and  tied  round      ^  Lady's  shoe,  of  a  Comflower-blue  Serge 

Silk,  Bound  with  White  Ribbon. 

the  neck. 

"Working  women  wore  petticoats  and  half  gowns,  drawn  with 
a  cord  round  the  waist,  and  coarse  leather  shoes;  though  they  generally 
had  a  pair  of  'Lynn  shoes'  for  Sunday."* 

In  Watson's  famous  "Annals"  we  read:   "The  women  in  Phila- 
delphia wore  caps  (a  bare  head  was  never  seen),  stiff  stays,  hoops 
from  six  inches  to  two  feet  (Figure  184)  on  each  side,  so  that  a  full- 
dressed  lady  entered  a  door  like  a  crab.     High-heeled  shoes  of  black  ■ 
stuff  with  white  silk  or  thread  stockings,  and  in  the  miry  times  of     / 
winter  they  wore  clogs,  galoshes,  or  pattens  (Figures  189  and  190).  - 

"Ladies  often  had  their  hair  tortured  for  four  hours  at  a  sitting, 
in  getting  the  proper  crisped   curls  of  a  hair  curler.     Some  who 

*  History  of  Lynn,  Mass.,  by  Lewis  and  Newhall. 


2l8 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


designed  to  be  inimitably  captivating,  not  knowing  they  could  be  sure 
of  professional  services,  where  so  many  hours  were  occupied  upon 
one  gay  head,  have  actually  had  the  operation  performed  the  day 
before  it  was  required,  then  have  slept  all  night  in  a  sitting  posture  to 
prevent  the  derangement  of  their  frizzles  and  curls.  This  is  a  real 
fact,  and  we  could,  if  questioned,  name  cases.    They  were  of  course 


FiGTTRE  211.  Figure  210. 

Plan  of  White  Satin  Dress  shown  in  Figures  218  and  230.     Reign  of  George  III. 

rare  occurrences,  proceeding  from  some  extra  occasions,  when  there 
were  several  to  serve,  and  but  few  such  refined  hair  dressers  in  the 
place. 

"This  formidable  head  work  was  succeeded  by  rollers  over  which 
the  hair  was  combed  from  the  forehead.  These  again  were  super- 
seded by  cushions  and  artificial  curled  work,  which  could  be  sent  out 


.«* 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


221 


to  the  barber's  block  like  a  wig  to  be  dressed,  leaving  the  lady  at 
home  to  pursue  other  objects,  thus  producing  a  grand  reformation 


Figure  216. 
Beaver  Hat  and  Short  Cloak,  Middle  of  Eighteenth  Century.     Reigns  of  George  II  and  III. 

in  the  economy  of  time  and  an  exemption  from  former  durance 
vile. 


222  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


"When  the  ladies  first  began  to  lay  off  their  cumbrous  hoops, 
they  supplied  their  place  with  successive  succedaneums,  such  as  these, 
to  wit:  First  came  bishops — a  thing  stuffed  or  padded  with  horse 
hair;  then  succeeded  a  smaller  affair  under  the  name  of  Cue  de  Paris, 
also  padded  with  horse  hair.  How  it  abates  our  admiration  to  con- 
template the  lovely  sex  as  bearing  a  roll  of  horse  hair  or  a  cut  of  cork 
under  their  garments!  Next  they  supplied  their  place  with  silk  or 
calimanco,  or  russell  thickly  quilted  and  inlaid  with  wool,  made  into 
petticoats;  then  these  were  supplanted  by  a  substitute  of  half  a  dozen 
petticoats.  No  wonder  such  ladies  needed  fans  in  a  sultry  summer, 
and  at  a  time  when  parasols  were  unknown,  to  keep  off  the  solar 
rays!" 

Other  articles  of  female  wear  are  mentioned:  "Once  they  wore 
a  'skimmer  hat'  made  of  a  fabric  which  shone  like  silver  tinsel;  it 
was  of  a  very  small  flat  crown  and  big  brim,  not  unlike  the  late  Leg- 
horn flats.  Another  hat,  not  unlike  it  in  shape,  was  made  of  woven 
horse  hair  woven  in  flowers,  and  called  'horse  hair  bonnets,'  an  article 
which  might  again  be  usefully  introduced  for  children's  wear  as  an 
enduring  hat  for  long  service."  Watson  had  himself  seen  what  was 
called  a  "bath  bonnet,"  date  unknown,  "made  of  black  satin,  and 
so  constructed  to  lie  in  folds  that  it  could  be  sat  upon  like  a  chapeau 
bras,^^  and  observes  that  "it  would  be  a  good  article  for  travelling 
ladies!"  This  and  the  "musk  melon  bonnet,"  evidently  a  modifica- 
tion of  the  calash,  used  before  the  Revolution,  had  numerous  whale- 
bone stiffeners  in  the  crown,  set  an  inch  apart  in  parallel  lines  and 
presenting  ridges  to  the  eye,  between  the  bones.  The  "pumpkin  hood  " 
was  made  in  the  same  manner  with  wadding  between  the  ridges  for 
cold  weather. 

"A  'calash  bonnet,'"  according  to  Watson,  "was  usually  formed 
of  green  silk;  it  was  worn  abroad  covering  the  head,  but  when  in 
rooms  it  could  fall  back  in  folds  like  the  springs  of  a  calash  or  gigtop ; 
to  keep  it  over  the  head  it  was  drawn  up  by  a  cord  always  held  in  the 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  225 

hand  of  the  wearer."  When  the  calash  was  at  the  height  of  popularity, 
however,  it  appeared  in  many  varieties  of  material  and  colour.  I 
have  seen  mention  of  a  pink  dimity  calash  and  of  a  flowered  Persian 
worn  over  high  heads,  without  disturbing  the  erection,  and  blue 
and  brown  calashes  may  be  seen  in  the  Museums  in  Philadelphia. 

"The  wagon  bonnet,  always  of  black  silk,  was  an  article  exclusively 
in  use  among  the  Friends.  When  on  the  head  it  was  thought  to  look 
not  unlike  the  top  of  the  Jersey  wagons,  having  a  pendent  piece  of 
the  silk  hanging  from  the  bonnet  and  covering  the  shoulders.  The 
only  straw  worn  was  that  called  the  'straw  bee-hive  bonnet,'  worn 
generally  by  old  people."  Interesting  specimens  of  bonnets  may 
be  seen  in  the  Museum  of  Memorial  Hall,  Philadelphia,  ranging  from 
the  calash  and  the  pumpkin  hood  to  the  wagon  bonnet  mentioned 
by  Mr.  Watson,  but  the  exact  date  of  the  latter  is  hard  to  determine. 

Mrs.  Gummere,  in  a  very  brilliant  book  on  a  very  sombre  sub- 
ject, published  recently,*  says:  "It  has  been  with  the  Quaker  bonnet 
as  with  every  other  garment  the  Quaker  has  ever  worn — the  cut 
originated  in  that  centre  of  all  ideas  of  fashion,  and  the  abode  of 
taste,  Paris,  while  the  expression  of  Quakerism  lay  simply  in  the 
absence  of  any  superfluous  adornments.  In  this  one  idea  lies  the 
secret  of  Quaker  dress."  Doubtless  the  author  is  right,  but  who 
can  look  upon  even  a  picture  of  a  Quaker  bonnet  without  sighing 
for  the  superfluous  adornments? 

Although  no  rigid  laws  had  been  passed  by  the  Quakers  forbid- 
ding the  use  of  gay  colours,  members  of  the  sect  were  recommended 
to  abstain  from  them,  and  soft  grays,  dull  drabs,  sage  greens,  and 
sombre  browns  were  so  generally  worn  by  Friends  that  they  were 
thenceforth  associated  with  them.  We  read  in  many  instances  of 
the  careful  pains  even  the  strictest  of  Friends  took  to  match  these 
solemn  colours.  Figure  250  is  the  portrait  of  a  beautiful  Quaker 
lady  in  a  gown  of  sage  silk. 

*  The  Quaker,  a  Study  in  Costume. 


226  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


"The  Quaker  simplicity  of  garb  was  but  another  name  for  the 
finest  and  costhest  raiment  that  could  be  produced,  the  richest  sombre 
coloured  silks,  the  most  delicate  lawn,  the  finest  broadcloth.  A  modest 
splendour  which  cost  more  thought  and  care  than  the  ordinary  habili- 
ments which  were  denounced  by  the  sect  as  pomps  and  vanities  of 
the  world,"  says  that  gentle  historian,  Mrs.  Oliphant.  But  the  use 
of  sheer  cambric  in  caps,  handkerchiefs,  and  aprons  gave  to  the  dress 
of  the  Quaker  maids  and  matrons  a  dainty  air  of  unpretentious  re- 
finement for  which  they  have  ever  been  distinguished. 

The  cape  in  Figure  232  is  of  pale  gray  silk  lined  with  white  cam- 
bric. It  is  taken  from  an  original  garment  of  about  1775.  The  cap 
is  of  finest  linen  cambric  sewed  with  the  invisible  stitches  of  early 
days  and  worn  by  that  distinguished  colonial  dame  of  Pennsylvania, 
Deborah  Norris  Logan,  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The 
combination  may  at  first  seem  an  anachronism,  but  in  point  of  fact 
the  Society  of  Friends  followed  with  reluctant  footsteps  the  changes 
of  fashion,  and  while  caps  of  the  style  of  Figure  232  were  probably 
worn  at  the  close  of  the  century  and  even  later,  the  cape  is  of  a 
shape  worn  by  Quaker  dames  as  early  as  1775  and  as  late  as  1800. 

A  delightful  instance  of  departure  from  Quaker  costume  on  an 
especial  occasion  is  thus  told  by  Mrs.  Gummere:* 

"A  Quaker  Wedding. 

"In  the  month  of  May,  1771,  Isaac  Collins  of  Burlington,  New 
Jersey,  married  Rachel  Budd,  of  Philadelphia,  at  the  'Bank  Meeting' 
in  that  city.  His  wedding  dress  was  a  coat  of  peach  blossom  cloth, 
the  great  skirts  of  which  had  outside  pockets.  It  was  lined  through- 
out with  quilted  white  silk.  The  large  waistcoat  was  of  the  same 
material.  He  wore  small  clothes,  knee  buckles,  silk  stockings,  and 
pumps.    A  cocked  hat  surmounted  the  whole. 

"The  bride,  who  is  described  as  'lovely  in  mind  and  person,' 

*  The  Quaker,  a  Study  in  Costume. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


229 


wore  a  light  blue  brocade,  shoes  of  the  same  material,  with  very- 
high  heels,  not  larger 
than  a  gold  dollar,  and 
sharply  pointed  at  the 
toes."  In  Figure  263  a 
photograph  of  the  orig- 
inal shoes  worn  on  that 
occasion  is  given.  "Her 
dress  was  in  the  fashion 
of  the  day,  consisting  of 
a  robe,  long  in  the  back, 
with  a  large  hoop.  A 
short  blue  bodice,  with 
a  white  satin  stomacher 
embroidered  in  colours, 
had  a  blue  cord  laced 
from  side  to  side.  On 
her  head  she  wore  a 
black  mode  hood  lined 
with  white  silk,  the  large 
cape  extending  over  the 
shoulders.  Upon  her  re- 
turn from  meeting  after 
the  ceremony,  she  put  on 
a  thin  white  apron  of 
ample  dimensions,  tied  in 
front  with  a  large  blue 
bow." 

Cloaks    for    outdoor 
wear    were    used    with 
some  changes  of  form,  under  the  successive  names  of  "pompadours," 
"Roquelaures,"  "cardinals,"  and  "capuchins,"  throughout  the  eight- 


FlGURE  223. 

Lady  in  Capuchin  with  Fur  Trimmings  and  MuflF, 

1780.     Reign  of  George  III. 


230  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


eenth  century.  "Umbrellas  to  keep  off  the  rain  were  not  known 
at  this  time,  but  a  few  people  used  quitasols,  which  were  about 
the  size  of  the  present  parasols.  They  were  of  oiled  muslin, 
and  were  of  various  colours.  They  must,  however,  have  been  but 
rare,  as  they  never  appear  in  any  advertisements,"  according  to  Mr. 
Watson,  who  is  also  responsible  for  the  following  statement: 

"In  those  days  dress  was  discriminative  and  appropriate,  both 
as  regards  the  season  and  the  character  of  the  wearer.  Ladies 
never  wore  the  same  dress  at  work  as  on  visits;  they  sat  at  home  or 
went  out  in  the  morning  in  chintz,  and  brocades,  satins  and  mantuas 
were  reserved  for  evening  wear  or  for  dinner  parties.  Robes  or 
negligees,  as  they  were  called  (Figures  192,  204,  and  207),  were 
often  worn  in  full  dress.     Muslin  gowns  were  not  worn  at  all." 

During  the  reign  of  George  III,  women  of  fashion  began  to  wear 
their  hair  high  again.  In  1775,  it  was  worn  absurdly  high,  rolled 
over  a  framework  of  wire  and  surmounted  by  a  large  cap,  turban, 
or  hat  with  tall  feathers;  this  fashion  was  never  quite  as  exaggerated 
in  the  Colonies  as  in  England,  but  many  ancestral  portraits  testify 
to  its  popularity.  For  instance,  the  portraits  of  Mrs.  Duer  and  Mrs. 
Izard  in  "The  Republican  Court"  show  this  extreme  of  fashion. 

Virginia  was  always  one  of  the  gayest  of  the  Colonies.  In  the 
Diary  of  Philip  Fithian,  this  description  of  festivities  in  1774  is  given: 

"A  Virginia  Ball  and  Virginia  Belles  (1774). 
"Tuesday,  January  18.  Mrs.  Carter  and  the  young  ladies  came 
home  last  night  from  the  ball,  and  brought  with  them  Mrs.  Lane. 
They  tell  us  there  were  upward  of  seventy  at  the  ball;  forty-one 
ladies;  that  the  company  was  genteel;  and  that  Colonel  Harry  Lee, 
from  Dumfries,  and  his  son  Harry,  who  was  with  me  at  college,  were 
also  there.  Mrs.  Carter  made  this  an  argument,  and  it  was  a  strong 
one  indeed,  that  to-day  I  must  dress  and  go  with  her  to  the  ball. 
She  added  also  that  she  desired  my  company  in  the  evening  when 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


233 


she  should  come  home,  as  it  would  be  late.  After  considering  a  while, 
I  consented  to  go,  and  was  dressed. 

"We  set  away  from  Mr.  Carter's  at  two.  Mrs.  Carter  and  the 
young  ladies  went  in  the  chariot,  Mrs.  Lane  in  a  chair,  and  myself 
on  horseback.  , 

"As  soon  as  I  had  handed  the  ladies  out  I  was  saluted  by  Parson 
Smith.  I  was  introduced  into  a  small  room  where  a  number  of  gentle- 
men were  playing  cards  (the  first  game  I  have  seen  since  I  left  home) 


Figure  226. 


y 


Calashes,  1765. 


Figure  227. 


to  lay  off  my  boots,  riding-coat,  &c.  Next  I  was  directed  into  the 
dining-room  to  see  young  Mr.  Lee.     He  introduced  me  to  his  father. 

"With  them  I  conversed  till  dinner,  which  came  in  at  half  after 
four.  The  ladies  dined  first,  when  some  good  order  was  preserved. 
When  they  rose,  each  nimblest  fellow  dined  first.  The  dinner  was 
as  elegant  as  could  be  well  expected  when  so  great  an  assembly  were 
to  be  kept  for  so  long  a  time.  For  drink,  there  were  several  sorts 
of  wine,  good  lemon  punch,  toddy,  cider,  porter,  &c. 

"About  seven,  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  began  to  dance  in  the 


234  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


ball-room,— first,  minuets,  one  round;  second,  jigs;  trl4|i  rll!s; 
and  last  of  all,  country-dances.  They  struck  up  marches  occasionally. 
The  music  was  a  French-horn  and  two  violins. 

"The  ladies  were  dressed  gay  and  splendid,  and  when  dancing, 
their  silks  and  brocades  rustled  and  trailed  behind  them." 

The  minuet,  from  the  French  menuet, — so  called  from  the  small 
steps  taken  in  it,— was  invented  in  France  about  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  throughout  the  eighteenth  century  was  the 
favourite  dance  of  all  ceremonious  occasions  in  the  Colonies  as  well 
as  in  Europe. 

The  same  diary  also  contains  valuable  items  of  contemporary 
costume  and  allusions  to  the  fashionable  deportment  taught  to  the 
young  ladies  of  the  Colonies  and  absolutely  essential  to  the  proper 
setting  off  of  the  costumes  then  in  vogue. 

"Friday,  June  24. — To-day  Mr.  Christian's*  dance  takes  place 
here.  He  came  before  breakfast.  Miss  Jenny  Washington  came 
also,  and  Miss  Priscilla  Hale  while  we  were  at  breakfast.  Miss 
Washington  is  about  seventeen.  She  has  not  a  handsome  face,  but 
is  neat  in  her  dress,  of  an  agreeable  size,  well  proportioned,  and  has 
an  easy  winning  manner.  She  is  not  forward  to  begin  a  conversa- 
tion, yet  when  spoken  to  she  is  extremely  affable,  without  assum- 
ing any  girlish  affectation,  or  pretending  to  be  overcharged  with  wit. 
She  has  but  lately  had  an  opportunity  for  instruction  in  dancing 
yet  she  moves  with  propriety  when  she  dances  a  minuet,  and  without 
any  flirts  or  capers  when  she  dances  a  reel  or  country-dance.  Her 
dress  is  rich  and  well-chosen,  but  not  tawdry,  nor  yet  too  plain.  She 
appears  to-day  in  a  chintz  cotton  gown  with  an  elegant  blue  stamp, 
a  sky-blue  silk  quilt  (Figure  213),  and  spotted  apron.  Her  hair 
is  a  light  brown,  it  was  craped  up,  with  two  rolls  at  each  side,  and 
on  the  top  was  a  small  cap  of  beautiful  gauze  and  rich  lace,  with  an 
artificial  flower  interwoven.     Her  person  and  carriage  at  a  small 

*  Mr.  Christian  was  evidently  a  dancing  master. 


^ 


a    0 


•i'    r-'?? 


I   ^-^5   5  1    ^" 


2'  Oi 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


237 


distance  resemble  not  a  little  my  much  respected  Laura.  But  on 
close  examination  her  features  are  something  masculine,  while  those 
of  Laura  are  mild  and  delicate,  Mr.  Christian  very  politely  requested 
me  to  open  the  dance  by  stepping  a  minuet  with  this  amiable  girl. 
I  excused  myself  by  assuring  him  that  I  never  was  taught  to  dance. 
Miss  Hale  is  about  fourteen,  and  is  a  slim  and  silent  girl.  She  has 
black  eyes  and  black  hair  and  a  good 
set  of  eyebrows,  which  are  esteemed  in 
Virginia  essential  to  beauty.  She  looks 
innocent  of  every  human  failing,  does 
not  speak  five  words  in  a  week,  and  I 
dare  say  from  her  carriage  that  her 
modesty  is  perfect.  She  is  dressed  in 
a  white  Holland  gown,  cotton,  quilted 
very  fine,  a  lawn  apron,  has  her  hair 
craped  up,  and  on  it  a  small  tuft  of 
ribbon  for  a  cap.  She  is  but  just 
initiated  into  the  school,  and  only  hob- 
bles yet.  Once  I  saw  her  standing.  I 
rose  immediately  and  begged  her  to 
accept  my  chair.  She  answered  most 
kindly,  'Sir,  I  thank  you.'  That  was 
all  I  could  extract  from  this  wonder  of 
the  sex  for  the  two  days  she  staid,  and 
I  seemed  to  have  an  equal  share  in  the 
favours  of  her  conversation.  So  that  in 
describing  the  mental  faculties  of  Miss 
Hale,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  I  think  she  is  far  removed  from  most 
of  the  foibles  of  women.  Some  time  after  these,  came  Colonel  Lee's 
chariot  with  five  young  misses." 

In  England,  in  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  it  was  the 
custom  of  the  noble  patrons  of  the  different  theatrical  companies 


Figure  232. 
Quaker  Cape  and  Cap,  1780. 


238  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

to  bestow  their  cast-off  suits  upon  their  favourite  actors.  As  national 
distinction  was  utterly  disregarded  in  dramatic  productions  of  the 
day,  and  histories  of  costume  were  unknown,  the  heroes  and  heroines 
of  classic  lore,  as  well  as  of  Shakespeare,  were  dressed  in  the  fashion- 
able garb  of  the  passing  hour.  We  hear  of  even  Garrick  appearing 
as  OtheUo  in  a  regimental  suit  of  George  II's  body-guard,  with  a 
flowering  Ramilie  wig;  and  of  Barry  in  the  same  role  (in  1765) 
dressed  in  a  fuU  suit  of  gold-laced  scarlet,  a  small  cocked  hat,  and 
silk  stockings. 

More  striking  still  must  have  been  the  Othello  of  James  Quin 
in  a  large  powdered  major  wig  and  a  blackened  face.  Fancy  Lady 
Macbeth  in  a  hoop  eight  yards  in  circumference,  which,  as  we  read, 
was  the  costume  Mrs.  Yates  assumed  in  the  part. 

Barton  Booth,  an  actor  of  note  in  the  early  part  of  the  century, 

took  pains  to  encase  the  soles  of  his  shoes  in  felt  when  acting  the 

ghost  in  Hamlet,  but  Pope  records  of  his  impersonation  of  Addison's 

Cato  in  1712: 

"  Booth  enters,  hark  the  universal  peal! 
But  has  he  spoken?  not  a  syllable. 
What  shook  the  stage  and  made  the  people  stare? 
Cato's  long  wig,  flowr'd  gown  and  lacquer'd  chair." 

Mrs.  Cibber  as  Juliet,  in  a  white  satin  gown  with  an  enormous 
hoop,  does  not  seem  to  have  been  thought  unseemly  attired. 

Even  John  Kemble,  the  author  of  many  reformations  in  stage 
effects,  appeared  as  Hamlet  in  a  modern  court  dress  of  rich  black 
velvet  with  deep  ruffles,  with  the  pendent  riband  of  an  order  on  his 
breast,  and  mourning  sword  and  buckles;  his  hair  was  powdered 
and,  in  the  scenes  of  feigned  distraction,  flowed  dishevelled  in  front 
over  his  shoulders.* 

The  first  theatre  in  America  was  at  WiUiamsburg,  Virginia,  which 
was  inaugurated  by  the  London  Company  of  Comedians  under  the 
management  of  Mr.  Lewis  Hallam  in  1752.    The  play  was  "The 

*  Annals  of  the  English  Stage,  by  Dr.  Doran. 


•lit  atauori 


IT 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  241 


Merchant  of  Venice."  The  unfortunate  Signor  Antonio  probably 
dressed  in  a  ruffled  shirt,  knee  buckles,  long  coat,  and  buttoned  waist- 
coat, with  a  powdered  wig,  after  the  manner  of  Mr.  Clarke  at  the 
Haymarket  Theatre  in  London;  while  Shylock  stood  whetting  his 
wicked  knife  in  a  very  long-tailed  coat  and  a  falling  band  of  linen, 
in  imitation  of  Macklin,  w^ho  was  delighting  English  audiences 
with  his  representation  of  the  part  about  that  time.  Opera  glasses 
came  into  use  early  in  this  century  (eighteenth). 

Miss  Sarah  Eves,  of  Philadelphia,  remarks  in  her  journal  (January 
5,  1773) :  "The  poor  Doctor  thought  his  clothes  were  not  good  enough 
to  wait  upon  us  in,  therefore  he  delays  his  visit  until  he  gets  fitted 
up  in  the  Macaronia  taste  I  suppose."  This  was  the  popular  name 
for  a  dandy  at  the  time  Miss  Eves  wrote,  the  Macaronis  being  a  class 
of  fops  in  London  who  introduced  a  particular  style  of  dress  in  1772. 
The  name  originated  in  the  following  manner.  A  number  of  young 
men  of  fashion  who  had  visited  Italy  formed  an  association  called 
"The  Macaroni  Club,"  in  contradistinction  to  the  "Beefsteak  Club" 
of  London.  As  the  fashion  of  this  time  was  to  wear  long  waistcoats 
and  coats  with  wide  and  heavy  skirts,  they  wore  theirs  exceedingly 
short,  and  the  whole  dress  of  very  close  cut.  Their  wigs  were 
remarkable  for  an  enormous  club,  or  turned-up  bunch  of  hair  be- 
hind. They  had  little  cocked  hats,  swords  dangling  about  their 
heels  at  the  end  of  long  straps,  and  sticks  with  large  tassels.  Their 
stockings  were  covered  with  coloured  spots  and  their  dress  generally 
piebald  in  the  same  manner. 

In  1773  an  alteration  took  place  in  their  dress,  consisting  chiefly 
in  elevating  the  hair  to  an  enormous  height,  with  large  curls  ranging 
on  each  side  of  it,  and  in  wearing  immense  bunches  of  flowers  at  the 
breast.  They  attracted  much  attention  during  the  few  years  of  their 
existence.* 

*  Fairholt's  English  Dress. 


242  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


"Ye  belles  and  beaus  of  London  town, 

Come  listen  to  my  ditty; 
The  muse,  in  prancing  up  and  down, 

Has  found  out  something  pretty. 
With  little  hat,  and  hair  dress'd  high, 

And  whip  to  ride  a  pony. 
If  you  but  take  a  right  survey, 

Denotes  a  Macaroni. 

"  Five  pounds  of  hair  they  wear  behind 

The  ladies  to  dehght,  O! 
Their  senses  give  unto  the  wind. 

To  make  themselves  a  fright,  O! 
Thus  fashion  who  does  e'er  pursue 

I  think  a  simple  tony, 
For  he's  a  fool,  say  what  you  will, 

Who  is  a  Macaroni." 

This  ballad  was  popular  in  the  streets  of  London  at  this  time, 

and  was  probably  sung  by  the  English  soldiers  in  the  Colonies.     It 

suggests  a  close  connection  with  the  national  air,  "Yankee  Doodle," 

which  so  many  writers  have  attempted  to  explain  without,  however, 

settling  the  vexed  question. 

"Yankee  Doodle  came  to  town 
Riding  on  a  pony 
With  a  feather  in  his  hat. 
Upon-  a  Macaroni" 

can  be  traced  to  the  time  of  Charles  I,  and  has  been  ascribed  to  the 
pen  of  a  cavalier  poet  in  derision  of  Cromwell.  But  this  version 
does  not  seem  any  more  palpable  than  other  explanations,  and  "a 
feather  in  his  hat"  is  not  suggestive  of  Cromwell. 

According  to  the  Century  Dictionary,  it  is  said  to  have  been  first 
applied  in  the  Colonies  to  a  Maryland  company  of  militia  distin- 
guished for  its  showy  uniform. 

The  Lydia  Fisher  jig,  sung  to  the  same  tune,  runs: 

"  Lucy  Locket  lost  her  pocket 
Lydia  Fisher  found  it, 
Not  a  bit  of  money  in  it 
Only  broidery  round  it." 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  243 

We  give  a  picture  of  a  beautifully  embroidered  linen  pocket, 
made  by  a  colonial  lady,  which  would  be  well  worth  finding  even  as 
empty  as  that  of  Lucy  Locket  (Figure  238).  This  pocket  was  intended 
to  be  worn  outside  the  dress,  as  the  careful  needlework  proclaims. 
The  original  is  in  the  Essex  Institute  at  Salem,  Massachusetts.  It 
was  worked  and  worn  by  Mrs.  Samuel  Wodkind  about  1750.  A 
similar  pocket  made  of  printed  cotton  is  in  the  Museum  of  Mem- 
orial Hall,  Philadelphia. 

According  to  Fairholt,  the  Macaroni  style  of  costume  was  quite 
the  rage  with  the  town  (London).  Everything  that  was  fashionable 
was  a  la  Macaroni.  Even  the  clergy  had  their  wigs  combed,  their 
clothes  cut,  "their  delivery  refined,"  a  la  Macaroni.  The  shop 
windows  were  filled  with  caricatures  and  other  prints  of  this  tribe; 
there  were  portraits  of  "Turf  Macaronis,"  "Parade  Macaronis," 
"Macaroni  Parsons,"  "Macaroni  Scholars,"  and  a  variety  of  other 
species  of  this  extended  genus.  Ladies  set  up  for  female  Macaronis. 
Their  costume  was  scarcely  so  distinctive  as  that  of  the  men ;  it  was 
chiefly  known  by  the  high  head-dress,  large  bunch  of  flowers,  and 
an  exceedingly  wide  and  spreading  sleeve  hanging  with  deep  ruf- 
fles from  the  elbow. 

"No  ringlets  now  adorn  the  face, 
Dear  Nature  yields  to  art, 
A  lofty  head-dress  must  take  place, 
Abroad  in  ev'ry  part. 
*^  Patch,  paint,  perfume,  immodest  stare, 

You  find  is  all  the  fashion. 
Alas,  I'm  sorry  for  the  fair, 

Who  thus  disgrace  the  nation."* 

I  have  not  met  with  a  single  notice  of  a  female  Macaroni  in  the 
Colonies. 

The  English  country  people  of  the  eighteenth  century  were  rather 
picturesque  in  costume.     When  dressed  for  church  or  a  country  fair, 

*  Fairholt's  Satirical  Poems  on  Costume. 


J 


244  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

the  young  women  wore  flowered  chintzes  with  muslin  kerchiefs  and 
aprons.  The  short  skirts  showed  clocked  stockings,  usually  of  a 
bright  colour.  Their  shoes  were  strong  but  not  clumsy  in  pattern, 
and  the  little  muslin  caps  they  wore  under  their  hats  were  extremely 
pretty  and  becoming. 

On  these  occasions  the  men  wore  breeches  to  the  knees,  coats 
of  homespun,  waistcoats  usually  of  some  contrasting  colour,  buckled 
shoes,  and  cocked  hats. 

When  at  work,  the  damsels  generally  wore  short  skirts  of  a  coarse 
woolen,  material  tied  round  the  waist  over  short  sacques  of  calico, 
with  kerchiefs  about  the  neck.     (Figures  247  and  259.) 

The  men  wore  knit  jerkins  or  blouses  of  coarse  linen,  such  as 
oznaburg  or  dowlas,  leather  boots  pulled  up  over  coarse  woolen 
breeches,  and  Monmouth  caps.  Homespun  linsey-woolsey  was 
much  in  use  for  both  sexes. 

The  domestics  of  a  household  were  always  clothed  by  their  mas- 
ters. A  letter  of  Mistress  Hannah  Penn,  written  in  1700,  requests 
that  "ten  yards  of  frieze  for  servants  and  some  four  or  six  skirts" 
be  sent  by  barge  from  Philadelphia  to  Pennsbury,  where  she  was 
preparing  for  her  husband's  return.  The  following  items  tell  us 
what  Washington  ordered  from  England  for  the  servants  at  Mt. 
Vernon  in  1759: 

8  doz.  pairs  of  plaid  hose  sorted, 

4     "     Monmouth  caps, 
25  yds.  broadcloth  to  cost  about  7s.  6d. 
15     "     coarse  double  thick  broadcloth, 

6     "     scarlet  broadcloth, 
30     "     red  shalloon, 

12  doz.  white   washed   waistcoat   buttons, 
20     "        "  "  coat 

40  yds.  coarse  jean  or  fustian  for  summer  frocks  for  negro  servants, 
li  doz.  pairs  strong  coarse  thread  hose  fit  for  negro  servants, 

I     "     pairs  coarse  shoes  and  knee  buckles, 

I  postillion  cap, 

6  castor  beavers. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  .  245 

The  livery  worn  by  his  servants  was  of  scarlet  faced  with 
white,  the  colours  of  the  Washington  coat-of-arms. 

The  following  notices  from  newspapers  of  1740  to  1772,  show 
the  usual  dress  of  servants  and  slaves  in  the  Colonies: 

"Now  in  the  custody  of  Thomas  Smith,  Sheriff  of  Cape  County, 
a  run-away  negro  man,  who  goes  by  the  name  Jupiter  Hazard,  is 
about  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  but  very  black,  of  a  middle  size 
and  well  built.  Had  on  when  taken  up,  a  flannel  shirt,  leather  breeches 
with  a  fob  in  the  waistband,  shoes  and  stockings,  both  very  good, 
the  stockings  of  a  blue  colour,  bathmetal  buckles,  a  good  felt  hat 
and  worsted  cap.  He  speaks  English  like  a  country  born  negro 
who  has  lived  some  time  among  the  Dutch. 

"He  had  a  bundle  with  him  which  contained  two  white  shirts, 
a  dimity  jacket  and  breeches,  a  white  handkerchief,  a  linen  cap,  a 
pocket-book  with  four  dollars  in  it,  and  a  pair  of  silver  knee  buckles 
marked  N.  S." 

"Ran  away  on  the  20th  from  Nathan  Watson,  of  Mount  Holly, 
an  Irish  servant  man,  named  Christopher  Cooney,  a  short  well-set 
fellow,  about  twenty-six  years  of  age,  of  a  pale  complexion,  short 
brown  curled  hair,  had  lost  one  of  his  under  fore  teeth,  and  has  had 
his  right  leg  broke,  and  walks  with  his  toe  turned  outward.  Had 
on  when  he  went  away,  a  new  castor  hat,  a  red  great  coat,  a  light- 
coloured  fustian  coat  and  jacket,  new  copper  coloured  broadcloth 
breeches,  lined  with  leather,  new  black  and  white  yarn  stockings, 
old  shoes,  newly  soled.  He  was  some  time  past  a  hostler  at  Jonathan 
Thomas's,  in  Burlington.  Whoever  takes  up  and  secures  said  ser- 
vant, so  that  his  master  may  have  him  again,  shall  have  forty  shil- 
lings reward,  and  reasonable  charges,  paid  by 

Nathan  Watson." 

From  the  "Pennsylvania  Gazette,"  1773: 

"Ran  away  from  the  subscriber,  an  English  servant  girl  named 
Christina  Ball,  but  calls  herself  Caty  for  shortness,  about  twenty 
years  of  age,  brown  skinned,  black  eyes,  and  hair  lately  cut  short, 
a  little  stoop-shouldered.     Her  cloathes  are  very  ordinary,  a  brown 


246 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


cloth  petticoat,  other  coarse  shifts  and  a  striped  caHco  short  gown; 

any  other  cloathes  uncertain.  Whosoever  takes  her  up,  and  con- 
fines her  in  any  gaol 
within  twenty  miles  of 
this  city  shall  have  twenty 
shillings  reward,  and 
three  pounds  if  taken  up 
at  any  distance  further, 
paid  by 

Henry  Neill." 

The  advertisements 
in  the  early  newspapers 
in  America  are  a  valua- 
ble contribution  to  the 
history  of  costume.  I 
will  give  a  few  from  the 
leading  papers  of  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  Colonies 
early  in  the  eighteenth 
century. 

Among  quaint  and 
curious  advertisements, 
we  find  this  one  of 
Thomas  Peck's,  advertis- 
ing goods  sold  by  him  at 
the  Hatt  &  Beaver,  Mer- 
chant's Row,  in  Boston. 

"A  fresh  assortment 
of  Linen  Linings,  suita- 
ble    for     Beaver,    Bea- 
verett.  Castor,  and    Felt 
Hatts,   Tabby  ditto.   Mohair  Lupings,   Silk  Braid   ditto,  flatt   and 
round  silk  lace  and  Frogs  for  Button  Lupes,  plain  and  sash  Bands, 


Figure  242. 

Typical  Dress  of  English  Country  Girl,  1780.     (End 

of  the  Eighteenth  Century.) 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  247 


workt  and  plain  Buttons,  black  Thread,  Gold  and  Silver  Chain, 
yellow  and  white  Buttons,  hard  and  light  Brushes,  Velures,  Cards, 
large  and  small  bowstrings,  Looping  Needles,  Verdigrees  and 
Coperas,  a  good  assortment  of  mens  and  boys  felt  Hatts,  Castor 
ditto.— He  likewise  sells  logwood." 

From  the  "New  York  Gazette"  of  May  9,  1737,  we  learn  of  a 
thief's  stealing  "one  gray  Hair  wig,  one  Horse  Hair  Wig,  not  worn 
five  times,  marked  V.  S.  E.,  one  brown  Natural  Wig,  one  old  wig 
of  Goats  Hair  put  in  buckle."  "Buckle"  meant  "to  curl,"  and  a 
wig  was  "in  buckle"  when  it  was  rolled  on  papers  for  curling.  Other 
advertisements  tell  of  the  dress-stuffs  of  the  time  with  the  weird  names 
chilloes,  betelles,  deribands,  tapsiels,  that  were  familiar  enough 
over  the  shop  counters  in  colonial  New  York. 

Here  is  another  curious  old  advertisement: 

"May  II,  1 761.  Imported  by  John  and  Thomas  Stevenson 
and  to  be  sold  at  their  shop  at  the  Sign  of  the  Stays,  opposite  the 
South  Side  of  the  Town-House,  Boston,  at  the  very  lowest  prices.  Viz. 

"Lawns  of  all  sorts,  Strip'd  and  Flowr'd  kenting  Handkerchiefs, 
cotton  and  linen  ditto;  silk  and  gauze  ditto;  Cambricks,  Calicoes 
and  printed  Linens — white  and  coloured  Threads;  silk,  worsted,  cot- 
ton and  thread  stockings,  Women's  silk  and  worsted  Mitts — Broad- 
Cloths;  German  Serge — Thicksets;  Fustians,  Jeans,  Pillows  and 
Dimities— Broglios,  Dorsateens,  Venetian  Poplins,  flowr'd  and  plain 
Damasks,  Prussianets,  Serpentines,  Tammies,  strip'd  stuff,  Camblets, 
Callimancoes,  Shalloons  and  Buckrams, — Worsted  Caps,  Garters, 
Needles  and  Pins — white  brown  and  strip'd  Hollands — white  and 
checked  Linnen  Diaper,  Bed-Ticks,  Tartans,  Plaids  Breeches  and 
Jackets  Stocking  Patterns,  Cotton  and  ^silk  gowns.  Stock  Tapes, 
Leather  Breeches,  Mens'  and  Women's  Leather  Shoes,  &c.,    &c." 

The  following  is  also  of  interest: 

"Just  imported  from  London,  and  to  be  sold  by 

"Daniel  Boyer,  Jeweller, 

"At  his  Shop  opposite  the  Governor's  in  Boston. 

Best    Brilliant    and    Cypher    Earing   and    Button    Stones,    Binding 


248  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


Wire,  Brass  and  Iron  ditto,  Brilliant  and  cypher  ring  stones.  Brass 
stamps.  Garnets,  Amethysts,  and  topaz.  Buckle  and  ring  brushes, 
Ring  and  buckle  sparks.  Money  scales  and  weights.  Locket  stones 
&  Cyphers,  Small  sheers  &  Flyers,  Ruby  and  white  foyle.  Screw 
dividers.  Coral  beads,  Blow  pipes.  Coral  for  Whistles,  Shoe  and 
knee  Chapes,  Draw  plates.  Moulding  sand,  Rough  and  smooth 
files.  Crucibles  and  plack  pots.  Borax  and  Salt-Petre,  Pommice 
and  Rotten-stone,    &c. 

Where  also  may  be  had,  some  sorts  of  Jewellers  and  Goldsmith  work, 
cheap  for  cash." 

That  Paul  Revere  was  at  one  time  a  dentist,  we  learn  from  the 
following  startling  advertisement  in  the  "Boston  Gazette,"  December 
19,  1768: 

"Whereas  many  Persons  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  lose  their  Fore- 
Teeth  by  Accident,  and  otherways,  to  their  great  Detriment,  not 
only  in  looks,  but  speaking  both  in  Public  and  Private : — This  is  to 
inform  all  such  that  they  may  have  them  replaced  with  artificial 
ones,  that  looks  as  well  as  the  Natural,  and  answers  the  end  of  speak- 
ing to  all  Intents,  by  Paul  Revere,  Goldsmith,  near  the  head  of  Dr. 
Clarke's  Wharf,   Boston. 

"All  Persons  who  have  had  false  teeth  fixt  by  Mr.  John  Baker, 
Surgeon-Dentist,  and  they  have  got  loose  (as  they  will  in  time)  may 
have  them  fastened  by  the  above  who  learnt  the  Method  of  fixing 
them  from  Mr.  Baker." 

Here  is  an  invoice  of  goods  imported  in  177 1: 

"Imported  in  the  Neptune  (Capt.  Binney)  and  to  be  sold  by 
Daniel  Parker,  Goldsmith,  At  his  Shop  near  the  Golden-Ball,  Boston, 

"An  Assortment  of  Articles  in  the  Goldsmith's  and  Jewellers 
Way,  viz.  brilliant  and  cypher'd  Button  and  Earing  Stones  of  all 
Sorts,  Locket  Stones,  cypher'd  Ring  Stones,  Brilliant  Ring  Sparks, 
Buckle  Stones,  Garnetts,  Amethysts,  Topaz,  and  Sapphire  Ring 
Stones,  neat  Stone  Rings  sett  in  Gold,  some  with  Diamond  Sparks, 
Stone  Buttons  in  Silver,  by  the  Card,  black  ditto  in  Silver,  best  Sword 
Blades,   Shoe  and  Knee  Chapes  of  all  sizes." 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  249 

Another  invoice  by  the  same  ship  contains  the  following  list: 

"Broad  Cloths,  German  Serges,  Bearskins,  Beaver  Coating, 
Half  Thick,  red  Shagg,  8  qr.  Blankets,  Shalloons,  Tammies,  Dur- 
ants,  Calimancoes,  worsted  Damasks,  strip'd  and  plain  Camblets, 
strip'd  Swanskins,  Flannell,  Manchester  Velvet,  Women's  ditto,  Bom- 
bazeen,  AUopeen,  colour'd  Duffels,  Hungarians,  Dimothy,  Crim- 
son and  green  China,  Cotton  Check,  worsted  and  Hair  Plush,  Men's 
and  Women's  Hose,  worsted  caps,  mill'd  ditto,  black  Tiffany, 
Women's  and  Children's  Stays,  cotton  Romalls,  printed  Linnen 
Handkerchiefs,  black  Gauze  ditto,  Bandanoes,  Silk  Lungee  Rom- 
alls, Cambricks,  Lawns,  Muslins,  Callicoes,  Chintz,  Buckrams,  Gu- 
lick  Irish  and  Tandem  Holland,  Men's  and  Women's  Kid  and  Lamb 
Gloves,  black  and  white  Bone  Lace,  Capuchin  Silk  and  Fringe,  Gar- 
tering, Silk  and  Cotton  Laces,  strip' t  Ginghams,  Yellow  Canvas, 
Diaper,  Damask  Table  Cloths  and  Napkins,  Bedtick,  Garlix,  Sole- 
tare  necklaces  and  Earings,  Tapes,  Women's  Russel  Shoes,  sew- 
ing Silk,  Looking  Glasses,  Ticklenburg,  English  and  Russia  Duck, 
English  and  India  Taffety,  Grograms,  English  and  India  Damask, 
Padusoys,  Lutestrings,  black  and  white  Satin,  Rich  Brocade,  Gauze 
Caps  and  Ruffles,  Shades  and  handsome  Silk  Cloakes,  &c.,  &c.,  &c." 

Of  interest,  too,  is  this  advertisement  from  the  "Pennsylvania 
Gazette,"  1773: 

"John  Marie 
"Taylor  from  Paris. 
Humbly  acquaints  the  Gentry  and  Public  that  he  has  taken  a  house 
in  Gray's  Alley,  between  Walnut  and  Chestnut  Streets,  the  fourth 
door  from  Second  Street,  and  has  provided  good  workmen.  He 
has  had  the  pleasure  of  pleasing  some  of  the  most  respectable  gentle- 
men in  London,  and  hopes  by  the  strictest  attention  and  most  par- 
ticular punctuality  to  give  general  satisfaction. 

"N.  B.  At  said  Maries',  gentlemen's  cloaths  of  all  colours  cleaned, 
all  spots  taken  out,  and  made  equal  to  new,  without  the  tedious  and 
disadvantageous  method  of  ripping  or  washing  them." 

The  following  notice  is  rather  amusing: 


250  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


"William  Lang, 
"Wig-Maker  and  Hair  Dresser, 
Hereby  informs  the  Public,  that  he  has  hired  a  Person  from  Europe, 
by  whose  assistance  he  is  now  enabled,  in  the  several  Branches  of 
his  Business,  to  serve  his  good  customers,  and  all  others,  in  the  most 
genteel  and  polite  Tastes  that  are  at  present  in  Fashion  in  England 
and  America.  In  particular,  Wigs  made  in  any  Mode  whatever, 
such  as  may  grace  and  become  the  most  important  Heads,  whether 
those  of  Judges,  Divines,  Lawyers,  or  Physicians,  together  with 
all  those  of  an  inferior  Kind,  so  as  exactly  to  suit  their  Respective 
Occupations  and  Inclinations.  Hair-dressing,  for  Ladies  and  Gen- 
tlemen, performed  in  the  most  elegant  and  newest  Taste — Ladies 
in  a  particular  Manner,  shall  be  attended  to,  in  the  nice,  easy,  gen- 
teel and  polite  Construction  of  Rolls,  such  as  may  tend  to  raise 
their  Heads  to  any  Pitch  they  may  desire,  also  French  Curls,  made 
in  the  neatest  Manner.     He  gives  Cash  for  Hair." 

In  the  Museum  at  Memorial  Hall,  Philadelphia,  are  some  jute 
braids  once  worn  under  nets  by  women  of  the  Colonies. 

The  following  notices  from  various  newspapers  in  different  parts 
of  the  Colonies,  appearing  at  the  dawn  of  the  Revolution,  prove 
that  the  people  of  that  day  were  not  wholly  given  up  to  the  vanities 
of  the  world. 

This,  from  a  New  England  paper  about  1768,  is  a  proof  of 
the  patriotic  spirit  of  the  dames  of  colonial  days: 

"In  a  large  circle  of  very  agreeable  ladies  in  this  Town,  it  was 
unanimously  agreed  to  lay  aside  the  Use  of  Ribbons,  &c.,  &c., 
&c.  for  which  there  has  been  so  great  a  Resort  to  Milliners  in  times 
past.  It  is  hoped  that  this  resolution  will  be  followed  by  others 
of  the  Sex  throughout  the  Province — How  agreeable  they  will  ap- 
pear in  their  native  Beauty,  stript  of  these  Ornaments  from  the  pre- 
vailing Motive  of  Love  to  their  Country." 

Another  notice  reads: 

"We  must  after  all  our  Efforts,  depend  greatly  upon  the  Female 
Sex  for   the   introduction  of  Economy  among  us;    and    those  who 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  251 


have  the  Pleasure  of  an  Acquaintance  with  them  assure  us  that  their 
utmost  Aid  will  not  be  wanting. 

''So  strong  is  the  Disposition  of  the  Inhabitants  of  this  Town 
to  take  of  the  Manufacturers  that  come  from  the  Country  Towns, 
especially  Womens  and  Childrens  Winter  Apparel,  that  nothing 
is  wanting  but  an  Advertisement  where  they  may  be  had  in  Town, 
which  will  be  taken  in,  and  published  by  the  printers  of  this  Paper 
gratis."  * 

Mrs.  Caulkins  tells  us  that  "with  the  prospect  of  war  with 
the  Mother  Country  before  them,  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Boston 
decided  upon  a  non-importation  system,  and  a  non-consumption 
of  articles  on  which  heavy  duties  were  laid.  It  was  the  practice 
then,  as  it  is  at  this  day,  in  the  Colonies  as  well  as  in  England,  to 
dress  in  black  clothes  on  mourning  occasions.  It  was  decided  to  dis- 
continue such  dresses,  and  the  custom  of  wearing  black  on  these 
occasions  was  generally  laid  aside;  the  only  sign  made  use  of  was 
a  piece  of  black  crape  about  the  hat,  which  was  in  use  before,  and 
a  piece  of  the   same  stuff  around  the  arm. 

"An  agreement  to  this  effect  was  drawn  up  and  very  generally 
signed  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  also  by  some  members  of 
the  Council  and  Representatives.  This  would  affect  the  sale  of 
English  goods,  and  none  were  to  be  purchased  except  at  fixed  prices. 
At  the  same  time  another  agreement  was  very  extensively  signed 
to  eat  no  lamb  flesh  during  the  year.  This  was  to  increase  the  sheep 
in  the  country,  and  consequently  to  encourage  the  manufacture  of 
woolen  goods,  which  were  imported  from  England  in  large  quanti- 
ties. 

"The  practice  of  wearing  expensive  mourning  dresses  was  soon 
very  generally  laid  aside.  It  was  further  proposed  'to  give  no  other 
gloves  than  are  of  the  manufacture  of  the  country  in  lieu  of  white 
ones,  that  are  seldom  drawn  on  a  second  time.'     It  was  suggested 

*  The  days  of  the  Spinning  Wheel  in  New  England.     Extracts  from  Colonial  Papers. 


252 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


to  the  glovers  that,  'it  might  not  be  amiss  if  some  peculiar  mark 
were  put  upon  them,  as  a  bow  and  arrow,  or  pine  tree,  instead  of  the 
usual  stitching  on  the  back,'  and  a  great  number  of  the  respectable 
tradesmen  of  the  Town  came  into  a  resolution  to  wear  nothing  but 
leather  for  their  working  habits.  Instead  of  the  rich  cloth  Roque- 
laures,  even  the  magistrate  and  the  colonel  were  satisfied  with  cloaks 
of  brown  camlet  lined  with  green  baize,  and  the  greatest  lady  in 
the  land  had  her  riding  hood  also  of  camlet.     As  the  great  struggle 

for  liberty  gradually  overshadowed  the 
land,  and  the  sacrifices  necessary  to  con- 
summate the  Revolution  began  to  be  ap- 
preciated, a  decided  change  took  place  in 
regard  to  dress,  amusements,  and  dis- 
play. Women  discarded  all  imported 
ornaments,  and  arrayed  themselves  wholly 
in  domestic  goods.  Fine  wool  and  choice 
flax  were  in  higher  estimation  than  silk 
and  laces,  and  the  hearts  of  the  patriots 
as  well  as  the  laudations  of  the  poet 
were  given  to  beauty  in  homespun  gar- 
ments. Gentlemen  also  that  had  been 
accustomed  to  appear  in  society  in  the 
daintiest  costume,  following  the  example 
first  set  by  the  women,  discarded  their 
shining  stocks,  their  cambric  ruffles,  silk  stockings,  silver  buckles, 
and  other  articles  of  foreign  production,  and  went  back  to  leather 
shoestrings,  checked  handkerchiefs,  and  brown  homespun  cloth. 

"The  encouragement  of  home  manufactures  and  the  rejection 
of  all  imported  luxuries  were  regarded  as  tests  of  patriotism.  Com- 
mon discourse  grew  eloquent  in  praise  of  plain  apparel  and  Labrador 
tea.  The  music  of  the  spinning  wheel  was  pronounced  superior 
to  that  of  the  guitar  and  harpsichord.    Homespun  parties  were  given 


Figure  243. 
Night-rail. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  255 

where  nothing  of  foreign  importation  appeared  in  the  dresses  or 
upon  the  table.  Even  wedding  festivities  were  conducted  upon 
patriotic  principles."  * 

After  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  the  colonists  everywhere  were 
too  seriously  engaged  to  give  much  attention  to  the  fashions,  only 
the  Tories,  who  persisted  in  shutting  their  ears  to  the  spirit  of  Rev- 
olution now  rife  in  the  Colonies,  and  spreading  in  ever-widening 
circles  about  them,  continued  to  import  the  fashionable  novelties 
from  England.  On  that  July  morning  in  1776  when  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  was  read  to  an  eager  crowd  in  the  State  House 
yard  in  Philadelphia,  the  colonial  period  of  American  history  came 
to  an  end. 

AFTER  THE  REVOLUTION 

Philadelphia  in  the  winter  of  1777  was  the  scene  of  much  gaiety. 
The  Tories  of  the  Colony,  refusing  even  then  to  take  a  serious  view 
of  the  situation,  amused  themselves  and  the  British  officers  stationed 
there  with  Sir  William  Howe,  by  a  series  of  dances  and  routs  which 
had  "an  appropriate  closing"  in  the  famous  Mischianza  given  by 
Major  Andre  and  the  other  members  of  Howe's  staff,  probably  with 
the  desire  to  return  some  of  the  hospitality  received,  although  Major 
Andre  himself  called  it  "the  most  splendid  complimentary  enter- 
tainment ever  given  by  an  army  to  their  Commander."  The  splen- 
dour of  this  ball,  preceded  by  a  regatta  on  the  Delaware  and  the 
absurd  mock  tournament,  has  been  so  often  described  that  it  is  not 
necessary  to  dwell  upon  it  here.  The  costumes  of  the  knights  and 
ladies  were  designed  by  Andre  as  well  as  the  tickets  of  admission. 
The  original  drawing  made  for  the  ladies'  costumes  and  one  of  the 
tickets  for  the  occasion  are  In  the  possession  of  the  Philadelphia 
Library  Company. 

During  the  Revolutionary  period   (i 776-1 783),  and,  in  fact,  for 

*  History  of  Norwich,  Connecticut,  by  Frances  Mainwaring  Caulkins. 


256  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


the  remaining  y^ars  of  the  eighteenth  century,  patriotic  Americans 
who  wished  to  be  very  fashionable  imported  their  finery  direct  from 
Paris,  and  French  taste  prevailed  both  in  furniture  and  dress. 

Depreciation  of  the  currency  was  one  of  the  many  trials  entailed 
by  the  breach  with  England. 

Speaking  of  the  high  prices  during  the  Revolution,  Mrs.  Bache 
(Sarah  Franklin),  in  writing  to  her  father,  says:  "I  have  been  ob- 
liged to  pay  fifteen  pounds  and  fifteen  shillings  (£15  15s.)  for  a  com- 
mon calamanco  petticoat  without  quilting,  that  I  once  could  have 
got  for  fifteen  shillings.  I  buy  nothing  but  what  I  really  want,  and 
wore  out  my  silk  ones  before  I  got  this."     (Philadelpl\ia,   |5ia§  "> 

A  few  months  later  she  says:    "A  pair  of  gloves  a 
lars.     One  yard  of  common  gauze  twenty-four  dollar 

The  hoop  skirt,  which  had  held  its  own  for  so  mai 
ouj;  of  fashion  in  1778. 

About  this  time  hair  in  Paris  was  worn  extravagantly  high,  but 
as  we  do  not  notice  the  extreme  of  this  or,  in  fact,  of  any  of  the 
French  styles  in  the  portraits  of  the  day  in  this  country,  it  seems  more 
than  likely  that  they  did  not. find  favour  in  American  eyes. 

A  letter  from  Miss  Franks;  one  of  the  reigning  belles  in  Ameri- 
can society,  describes  a  new  thing  in  bonnets  to  her  sister,  Mrs.  Hamil- 
ton, living  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Philadelphia:  "I  shall  send  you 
a  pattern  of  the  newest  bonnet ;  there  is  no  crown,  but  gauze  is  raised 
on  wire  and  punched  to  a  sugar  loaf  at  the  top.  The  lighter  the 
trimming  the  more  fashionable.     (Figure  236.) 

"Nancy  Van  Horn  and  myself  employed  yesterday  morning 
in  trying  to  dress  a  rag  baby  in  the  fashion,  but  could  not  succeed; 
it  shall  go,  however,  as  it  will  in  some  degree  give  you  an  opinion 
on  the  subject. 

"As  to  the  jacket  and  the  pinning  in  of  the  handkerchief,  yours 
you  say  reaches  to  the  arms.     I  know  it,  but  it  must  be  pinned  up 

*  Letters  to  Benjamin  Franklin  from  his  Family  and  Friends. 


•    HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  257 

to  the  top  of  the  shoulders  and  quite  under  the  arms  as  you  would 
a  girl's  Vandyke  (Figure  259). 

"The  fuller,  it  sets,  the  handsomer  it  is  thought.  Nobody  ever 
sets  a  handkerchief  out  in  the  neck, 'and  a  gauze  handkerchief  is 
always  worn  double  and  the  longest  that  can  be  got;  it  is  pinned 
round  the  throat,  as  Mrs.  Penn  always  did,  and  made  to  set  out 
before  like  a  man's  shirt.  :  The  ladies  here  always  wear  either  a  pin 
or  a  brooch  as  the  men  do."* 

Chintz  gowns  were  the  usual  wear  for  mornings  at  home,  even 

,  when  admiring  British  officers  were  about,  for  Sally  Wister,  writing 

ir^l^j^  dt)untry  home  of  her  father  in  1778,  says  to  Deborah  Norris: 

^r  near  seven,  dress'd  in  my  light  chintz  which  is  made 

i^enton    handkerchief   and    linen  apron."  f    Quilted 

petticoats  wSfe  still  very  fashionable  at  this  time. 

Caps  of  a  great  variety  of  shapes  were  worn  on  all  occasions  by 
the  women  of  this  period  (Figures  200,  201,  202,  and  219).  A  pic- 
ture of  one  of  a  striking  style  is  given  (Figure  202)  which  was  worn 
by  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Appleton  in  Massachusetts,   in  1784. 

Many  of  the  English  memoirs  and  letters  mention  the  "great- 
coat," which  came  into  use  in  1786,  and  so  pleased  Queen  Char- 
lotte that  she  commanded  Miss  Bumey  to  celebrate  it  in  verse.  The 
result  was  not  remarkable  as  a  poem,  but  interesting  as  a  note  on 
popular  costume. 

"The  garb  of  state  she  inly  scorn'd 

Glad  from  its  trappings  to  be  free'd, 
She  saw  thee  humble,  unadorn'd, 
•        Quick  of  attire, — a  child  of  speed. 

"Still,  then,  thrice  honour'd  Robe!  retain 
Thy  modest  guise,  thy  decent  ease. 
Nor  let  thy  favour  prove  thy  bane 

By  turning  from  its  fostering  breeze." 

*  Letter  written  from  Long  Island  to  Mrs.  Hamilton  of  Woodlands  near  Philadelphia, 
t  Pennsylvania  Magazine,  vol.  vii. 


258  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


As  Miss  Burney  speaks  later  of  wearing  a  "white  dimity  great- 
coat as  usual  in  the  morning,"  it  was  probably  another  form  of  the 
negligee,  the  ancestress  of  our  tea  gown  (Figure  i6i).  Of  the  same 
nature,  too,  were  the  gowns  which  Maria  Dickinson  mentions;  writ- 
ing of  an  evening  spent  at  Fairhill,  the  country-seat  of  Isaac  Norris 
near  Philadelphia,  she  says: 

"It  was  the  custom  to  disrobe  and  put  on  one  of  the  soft  warm 
gowns  of  green  baize  provided  for  each  guest,"  then  follows  a  charm- 
ing description  of  innocent  gossip  over  the  fire.  This  letter  is  dated 
January  i,  1787. 

Quaker  dress  was  at  this  time  noticeable  for  uniform  simplicity 
of  cut  and  sober  colouring,  although,  as  we  see  by  the  followir^^x- 
tract  from  a  letter,  lilac  satin  was  allowed  on  occasions.        ^BJD©- 

"Phila.  23  Sept.  1783. 

"We  reached  the  antiquated  building  on  Front  street  ere  they 
made  their  appearance,  and  being  seated  very  advantageously,  we 
soon  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  enter.  The  bridegroom  in  a 
full  suit  of  lead  coloured  cloth,  no  powder  in  his  hair,  which  made 
him  look  tolerably  plain.  The  bride  was  in  lilac  satin  gown  and 
skirt  with  a  white  satin  cloak  and  bonnet.  It  would  be  needless  to 
enumerate  the  variety  of  dresses  which  made  their  figures  on  this 
occasion.     Suffice  it  to  say  that  all  looked  much  in  the  smartness 

especially  neighbor  G ,  who  had  procured  an  enormous  large  hat 

which  made  him  the  most  conspicuous  person  present"  (Figure  220). 

For  this  amusing  letter  I  am  indebted  to  Miss  Anne  H.  Wharton, 
the  author  of  the  delightful  biography  of  Martha  Washington,  as 
well  as  other  well-known  books  on  the  colonial  period. 

There  are  very  few  portraits  of  Quakers  of  this  period ;  two,  how- 
ever, of  old  ladies  in  their  muslin  caps  and  plain  silk  gowns  are  repro- 
duced in  Figures  250  and  252.  Mrs.  Pennington,  sister  of  the  Mayor 
of  Philadelphia,  wears  a  dress  of  sage  green  under  her  kerchief.  In 
the  original  painting  the  colouring  is  very  attractive.      The  other 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  259 

portrait  is  copied  from  an  engraving,  but  there  is  great  charm  in  the 
delicate  face.  The  white  sheer  cap  is  fastened  with  a  white  ribbon 
bow  and  the  dress  is  probably  of  gray  silk  (Figure  252). 

After  the  proclamation  of  peace  with  Great  Britain,  while  Adams 
was  Minister  to  the  English  Court,  his  wife  wrote  full  accounts  of 
the  prevailing  styles  there  for  the  benefit  of  her  gay  friends  in  the 
United  States.     In  1786  she  wrote: 

"To  amuse  you  then,  my  dear  niece,  I  will  give  you  an  account 
of  the  dress  of  the  ladies  at  the  ball  of  Comte  d'Adhemar.  There 
was  as  great  a  variety  of  pretty  dresses,  borrowed  wholly  from  France, 
as  I  have  ever  seen;  and  amongst  the  rest,  some  with  sapphire-blue 
satin  waists,  spangled  with  silver,  and  laced  down  the  back  and  seams 
with  silver  stripes;  white  satin  petticoats  trimmed  with  black  and 
blue  velvet  ribbon;  an  odd  kind  of  head-dress,  which  they  term  the 
'Helmet  of  Minerva.'  I  did  not  observe  the  bird  of  wisdom,  how- 
ever, nor  do  I  know  whether  those  who  wore  the  dress  had  suitable 
pretentions  to  it.  'And  pray,'  say  you  'how  were  my  aunt  and  cousin 
dressed?'  If  it  will  gratify  you  to  know,  you  shall  hear.  Your 
aunt,  then,  wore  a  full-dress  court  cap  without  the  lappets,  in  which 
was  a  wreath  of  white  flowers,  and  blue  sheafs,  two  black  and  ,blue 
flat  feathers  (which  cost  her  half  a  guinea  apiece,  but  that  you  need 
not  tell  of),  three  pearl  pins,  bought  for  Court,  and  a  pair  of  pearl 
earrings,  the  cost  of  them — no  matter  what ;  less  than  diamonds,  how- 
ever. A  sapphire  blue  demi-saison  with  a  satin  stripe,  sack  and 
petticoat  trimmed  with  a  broad  black  lace;  crape  flounce,  etc.,  leaves 
made  of  blue  ribbon,  and  trimmed  with  white  floss;  wreaths  of  black 
velvet  ribbon  spotted  with  steel  beads,  which  are  much  in  fashion 
and  brought  to  such  perfection  as  to  resemble  diamonds;  white  rib- 
bon also  in  the  Vandyke  style,  made  up  the  trimming,  which  looks 
very  elegant;  and  a  full  dress  handkerchief,  and  a  bouquet  of  roses. 
'Full  gay,  I  think,  for  my  aunt.'  That  is  true,  Lucy,  but  nobody 
is  old  in  Europe.    I  was  seated  next  the  Duchess  of  Bedford,  who 


» 


26o 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


had  a  scarlet  satin  sack  and  coat,  with  a  cushion  full  of  diamonds, 

for  hair  she  had  none, 
and  is  but  seventy-six 
neither.  Well  now  for 
your  cousin:  a  small 
white  leghorn  hat,  bound 
with  pink  satin  ribbon; 
a  steel  buckle  and  band 
which  turned  up  at  the 
side,  and  confined  a  large 
pink  bow;  a  large  bow 
of  the  same  kind  of  rib- 
bon behind;  a  wreath  of 
full  blown  roses  round 
the  crown,  and  another 
of  buds  and  roses  within- 
side  the  hat,  which,  be- 
ing placed  at  the  back 
of  the  hair,  brought  the 
roses  to  the  edge;  you 
see  it  clearly;  one  red 
and  black  feather  with 
two  white  ones,  com- 
pleted the  head-dress.  A 
gown  and  coat  of  Cham- 
beri  gauze,  with  a  red 
satin  stripe  over  a  pink 
waist,  and  coat  flounced 
with  crape,  trimmed  with 
broad    point    and    pink 

ribbon;  wreaths  of  roses  across  the  coat,  gauze  sleeves  and  ruffles." 
As  costumes  similar  to  those  described  by  Mrs.  Adams  may  be 


7         /'>• 
Figure  249. 
A  Riding  Habit  about  1785  (from  a  Contemporary 
Print). 


t 


-loq  iBniaho  ariJ  moil)    ,nil3um  baiabioidnid  lo  sBod  bn^.^l^taiBlIoD  gqiworfa  , 


I   I 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  263 

seen  in  Racinet,  Pauquet,  and  other  books  of  French  costume,  it  is 
not  necessary  to  give  pictures  of  them  here. 

The  small  proportion  of  the  people  in  America  in  the  latter  years 
of  the  eighteenth  century  who  could  truthfully  be  called  gay  lived, 
of  course,  in  the  large  towns  and  cities;  the  majority  lived  quietly  in 
the  country  on  their  large  estates  or  plantations.  The  ''History  of 
Durham,  Connecticut,"  *  describes  the  home  customs  as  well  as  the 
home  costumes  of  rural  New  England  from   1776  to   1800. 

"The  inhabitants  were  generally  clad  in  fabrics  manufactured, 
that  is  made  by  hand,  in  the  family.  There  was  woolen  cloth  spun 
in  the  house  but  fulled  and  dressed  at  the  clothier's  shop.  There 
was  brown  tow  cloth,  and  streaked  linen  for  the  males,  with  bleached 
linen  for  shirts.  In  the  summer  they  generally  wore  brown  tow 
or  linen  trowsers  and  frock;  the  latter  being  a  kind  of  over  shirt. 
The  fulled  cloth  worn  in  the  winter  time  though  often  coarse  was 
warm.  It  was  sometimes  very  decent  in  appearance  when  made 
of  fine  wool,  well  spun  and  well  dressed.  The  females  were  clad 
in  streaked  linen  or  checked  linen,  on  week  days,  and  in  chintzes  and 
it  may  be  muslins  and  silks  on  the  Sabbath.  The  wedding  gowns 
if  not  muslin  were  sometimes  brocade  or  lutestring.  Near  the  close 
of  the  last  century  silk  was  reeled  and  woven  in  Durham.  For  a 
considerable  time  the  women  wore  cloaks  of  scarlet  broadcloth.  In 
the  year  1800  women  might  be  seen  on  the  Sabbath  riding  or  walking 
in  the  street  or  sitting  at  church  having  on  these  cloaks;  a  very  comely 
and  comfortable  article  of  dress.  Chaises  were  introduced  into,  Dur- 
ham about  1775  or  '80.  For  some  years  there  were  only  three  chaises 
in  the  town.  The  people  went  to  meeting  on  horseback,  the  women 
sitting  behind  the  men  on  pillions.  While  this  fashion  continued 
every  house  had  a  horse-block.  A  characteristic  of  the  houses  built 
in  the  first  half  century  after  the  settlement  of  Durham  was  the  large 
kitchen  fireplace,  which  in  some  cases  was  seven  or  eight  feet  in 

'  *  By  Chauncey  Fowler. 


264 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


width,  having  sometimes  one  and  sometimes  two  ovens  in  it,  admitting 
back  logs  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter,  and  three  or  four  children 

into  the  chimney  'corners.' 
The  large  and  steady  fire 
on  the  hearth  in  such  a  fire- 
place shone  on  the  faces  of 
many  a  family  circle,  gath- 
ered together  on  a  winter's 
evening.  To  many  a  large 
family  of  eight  or  ten  chil- 
dren the  hearth-stone  was 
a  load  stone  to  draw  them 
around  it.  There  was 
knitting  for  the  mother 
and  the  elder  daughters. 
There  were  the  slates  for 
the  older  sons.  There  were 
apples  and  nuts  for  the 
younger  children,  or  it  may 
be  a  lesson  in  spelling. 
There  were  the  two  vol- 
umes from  the  Town 
Library  for  the  father  and 
others.  There  was  story 
telling  and  song  singing. 
There  was  the  mug  of 
cider  enlivened  by  red  pep- 
per against  cold.  There 
was  the  family  Bible  and 
there  was  prayer  before 
retiring  to  rest.  In  short,  there  were  family  government,  family 
instruction,  family  amusement,  and  family  religion." 


Figure  254. 

A  Summer  Costume,  1 790-1 795  (from  a  Contem- 
porary Portrait). 


=    Br  £■ 


■i3*C.-'.-^*>.- 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  267 

On  the  occasion  of  the  inauguration  of  Washington  as  President, 
in  New  York,  his  dress  is  described  as  of  fine  dark  brown  cloth  of 
American  manufacture,  with  white  silk  hose,  shoes  with  silver  buckles, 
and  a  dress  sword.  The  ball  which  followed  brought  out  all  the 
j&nery  the  women  of  the  young  Republic  could  afford.  This  is  the 
description  given  in  "The  Republican  Court": 

"New  York,  1789.  Inauguration  Ball. 
"  The  costume  of  the  time  is  very  well  illustrated  by  the  portraits 
of  the  day,  of  which  fortunately  there  are  many,  but  some  readers 
may  be  interested  in  the  remarks  on  the  dresses  of  the  women  which 
form  a  portion  of  Colonel  Stone's  description  of  the  First  Inaugura- 
tion Ball.  "Few  jewels,"  he  says,  "were  then  worn  in  the  United 
States,  but  in  other  respects  the  dresses  were  rich  and  beautiful, 
according  to  the  fashion  of  the  day.  We  are  not  quite  sure  that  we 
can  describe  the  full  dress  of  a  lady  of  rank  in  the  period  under  con- 
sideration, so  as  to  render  it  intelligible,  but  we  will  make  the  attempt. 
One  favorite  dress  was  a  plain  celestial  blue  satin  gown  with  a  white 
satin  petticoat.  On  the  neck  was  worn  a  large  Italian  gauze  hand- 
kerchief, with  border  stripes  of  satin.  The  head-dress  was  a  pouf 
of  gauze,  in  the  form  of  a  globe,  the  creneaux  or  head  piece  of  which 
was  composed  of  white  satin,  having  a  double  wing,  in  large  plaits, 
and  trimmed  with  a  wreath  of  artificial  roses,  falling  from  the  left 
at  the  top  to  the  right  at  the  bottom,  in  front,  and  the  reverse  behind. 
The  hair  was  dressed  all  over  in  detached  curls,  four  of  which,  in  two 
ranks,  fell  on  each  side  of  the  neck,  and  were  relieved  behind  by  a 
floating  chignon.  Another  beautiful  dress  was  a  perriot  made  of 
gray  Indian  taffeta,  with  dark  stripes  of  the  same  colour,  having  two 
collars,  the  one  of  yellow,  and  the  other  white,  both  trimmed  with 
a  blue  silk  fringe,  and  a  revere  trimmed  in  the  same  manner.  Under 
the  perriot  was  worn  a  yellow  corset  or  bodice,  with  large  cross 
stripes  of  blue.     Some  of  the  ladies  wore  hats  a  VEspagnole  of  white 


y 


268 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


satin,  with  a  band  of  the  same  material  placed  on  the  crown,  like 

a  wreath  of  flowers  on  the  head-dress  above  mentioned.     This  hat, 

with  a  plume,  a  popu- 
lar article  of  dress,  was 
relieved  on  the  left  side, 
having  two  handsome 
cockades,  one  of  which 
was  at  the  top  and  the 
other  at  the  bottom.  On 
the  neck  was  worn  a 
very  large  plain  gauze 
handkerchief,  the  end  of 
which  was  hid  under  the 
bodice;  after  the  manner 
represented  in  T  r  u  m  - 
bull's  and  Stuart's  por- 
traits of  Lady  Washing- 
ton. Round  the  bosom 
of  the  perriot  a  fall  of 
gauze,  a  la  Henri  IV, 
was  attached,  cut  in 
points  around  the  edge. 
There  was  still  another 
dress  which  was  thought 
to  be  very  simple  and 
pretty.  It  consisted  of  a 
perriot  and  a  petticoat, 
both  composed  of  the 
same  description  of  gray 
striped  silk,  and  trimmed 

round  with  gauze,  cut  points  at  the  edges  in  the  manner  of  herrisons. 

The  herrisons  were  indeed  nearly  the  sole  trimming  used  for  perriots, 


Figure  259. 

Woman  in  Typical  Working  Dress,  1 790-1800  (taken 

from  Original  Garment  at  Stenton,  Philadelphia). 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  271 

caracos,  and  petticoats  of  fashionable  ladies,  made  either  of  ribbons  or 
Italian  gauze.  With  this  dress  they  wore  large  gauze  handkerchiefs 
upon  their  necks,  with  four  satin  stripes  around  the  border,  two  of 
which  were  narrow,  and  the  other  broad.  The  head-dress  was  a 
plain  gauze  cap,  after  the  form  of  the  elders  and  ancients  of  a  nun-  y 
nery.  The  shoes  were  celestial  blue,  with  rose  coloured  rosettes.  Such  j/ 
are  descriptions  of  some  of  the  principal  costumes,  and  although 
varied  in  divers  unimportant  particulars,  by  several  ladies,  according 
to  their  respective  tastes  and  fancies,  yet  as  with  the  peculiar  fashions 
of  all  other  times,  there  was  a  general  correspondence — the  tout 
ensemble  was  the  same." 

A  perriot  was  evidently  an  overdress.  The  name  betrays  the 
French  influence,  and  as  it  is  always  mentioned  in  connection  with 
a  petticoat  it  probably  opened  in  front  like  a  polonaise  or  sacque. 

It  was  so  much  the  custom  of  the  women  of  that  time  to  write  verses, 
that  the  following  lines  by  Mrs.  Warren*  on  the  frivolities  of  1790 
have  more  interest  on  account  of  the  theme  than  the  literary  style 
could  possibly  claim: 

"Woman's  Trifling  Needs. 

"An  inventory  clear 
Of  all  she  needs  Lamira  offers  here; 
Nor  does  she  fear  a  rigid  Cato's  frown 
When  she  lays  by  the  rich  embroidered  gown, 
And    modestly    compounds    for    just    enough — 
Perhaps,  some  dozens  of  more  flighty  stuff; 
With  lawns  and  lustrings,  blond  and  Mechlin  laces, 
Fringes  and  jewels,  fans  and  tweezer-cases ; 
Gay  cloaks  and  hats  of  every  shape  and  size, 
Scarfs,  cardinals,  and  ribbons  of  all  dyes; 
With  niflfles  stamped,  and  aprons  of  tambour, 
Tippets  and  handkerchiefs,  at  least  three  score; 
With  finest  muslins  that  fair  India  boasts, 
And   the   choice   herbage   from    Chinesan   coasts; 
(But  while  the  fragrant  Hyson  leaf  regales, 

♦Poems  Dramatic  and  Miscellaneous. 


272  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

Who'll  wear  the  homespun  produce  of  the  vales? 
For  if  'twould  save  the  nation  from  the  curse 
Of  standing  troops ;  or — name  a  plague  still  worse — 
Few  can  this  choice,  dehcious  draught  give  up, 
Though  all  Medea's  poisons  fill  the  cup.) 
Add  feathers,  furs,  rich  satins  and  ducapes, 
And  head-dresses  in  pyramidal  shapes; 
Sideboards  of  plate  and  porcelain  profuse, 
With  fifty  dittos  that  the   ladies  use; 
If  my  poor  treacherous  memory  has  missed, 

Ingenious  T shall  complete  the  list. 

So  weak  Lamira,  and  her  wants  so  few. 

Who  can  refuse? — they're  but  the  sex's  due. 

In  youth  indeed,  an  antiquated  page 

Taught  us  the  threatenings  of  an  Hebrew  sage 

'Gainst  wimples,  mantles,  curls,  and  crisping-pins, 

But  rank  not  these  among  our  modern  sins: 

For  when  our  manners  are  well  understood, 

What  in  the  scale  is  stomacher  or  hood? 

'Tis  true,  we  love  the  courtly  mien  and  air, 

The  pride  of  dress  and  all  the  debonair; 

Yet  Clara  quits  the  more  dressed  negUgee, 

And  substitutes  the  careless  polanee; 

Untill  some  fair  one  from  Brittania's  court, 

Some  jaunty  dress  or  newer  taste  import; 

This   sweet   temptation   could   not   be   withstood, 

Though  for  the  purchase  paid  her  father's  blood. 

Can  the  stern  patriot  Clara's  suit  deny  ? 

'Tis  beauty  asks,  and  reason  must  comply." 

The  portrait  by  Copley  of  Mercy  Warren,  reproduced  as  a  frontis- 
piece to  her  biography  in  the  popular  series  "Women  of  Colonial 
and  Revolutionary  Times,"  represents  her  in  a  brocade  sacque  richly 
trimmed  with  lace  and  a  small  fly  cap,  under  which  the  hair  is 
arranged  low  and  without  powder. 

Mr.  Wansey,  the  English  traveller,  describes  a  visit  to  the  theatre 
in  Philadelphia,  which  he  said  was  "as  elegant  and  convenient  and 
large  as  Covent  Garden.  I  should  have  thought  myself  still  in  Eng- 
land judging  by  the  appearance  of  the  company  around  me.     The 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


273 


ladies  wore  small  bonnets  of  the  same  fashion  as  those  I  saw  in  Lon- 
don— some  of  chequered  straw;  many  had  their  hair  full  dressed, 
without  caps,  as  with  us,  and  very  few  had  it  in  the  French  style. 
The  younger  ladies  appeared  with  their  hair  flowing  in  ringlets  on 
their  shoulders  (Figure  254).  The  gentlemen  had  round  hats,  coats 
with  high  collars,  cut  quite  in  the  English  fashion,  and  many  coats 
of  striped  silk." 

In  1795  a  very  decided  change  in  women's  dress  is  noted.  Soft 
clinging  materials  superseded  the  stiff  brocades  and  rustling  silks. 
Gowns  were  made  with  narrow 
skirts  and  short  bodices  with  long 
tight-fitting  sleeves;  the  shoulders 
were  generally  uncovered,  but 
muslin  or  gauze  handkerchiefs 
were  sometimes  worn  in  the 
house,  while  for  outdoor  wear,  long 
scarfs  were  put  on  around  the 
shoulders  and  fell  to  the  feet  in 
front.  Hair  was  worn  in  loose 
curls,  generally  caught  up  with  a 
comb  or  knot  of   ribbon.      Caps 

for  elderly  people  were  made  in  a  variety  of  styles  (Figures  224, 
225,  253,  259). 

In  her  memoirs,  Elizabeth  Bowne  takes  the  trouble  to  describe 
just  how  the  gowns  of  her  day  were  made.  In  1798  she  writes  to 
her  family: 

"The  gown  patterns  I  shall  enclose,  the  one  with  a  fan  back  is 
meant  to  just  meet  before  and  pin  in  the  robings,  no  strings,  belt 
or  anything.  The  other  pattern  is  a  plain  waist  with  strips  of  the 
same  stitched  on,  and  laced  between  with  bobbin  or  cord.  I  have 
a  muslin  done  so  with  black  silk  cord,  which  looks  very  handsome, 
and  I  have  altered  my  brown  silk  into  one  like  the  other  pat- 


FlGtTRE  265. 

Back  of  Mauve  Cr6pe. 


274 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


tern.     I  was  over  at  Saco  yesterday  and  saw  one  Mary  (King)  had 
made  in  Boston.     It  was  a  separate  waist,  or  rather  the  breadth  did 

not  go  quite  up.  The  waist 
was  plain  with  one  stripe  of 
cording  let  in  behind  and  the 
rest  of  the  waist  was  perfectly 
plain.  The  skirt  part  was 
plaited  in  box  plaits  three  of  a 
side,  which  reached  to  the 
shoulder  straps  and  only  enough 
left  to  meet  straight  before,  and 
is  one  of  the  patterns  I  have 
sent." 

In  Figure  341  the  picture  of 
a  dress  is  given  which  has  an 
interesting  story  connected  with 
it  (Figure  265). 

The  owner.  Mile.  Henrietta 
Madeline  1' Official  de  Wofoin 
(afterwards  Mrs.  Sartori),  was  a 
god-daughter  of  Queen  Marie 
Antoinette,  her  father  being  an 
officer  at  the  Court  of  Louis 
XVI,  who  was  sent  to  San 
Domingo  on  official  business 
just  before  the  outbreak  of  the 
French  Revolution.  Soon  after 
occurred  the  insurrection  of  the 
Negroes  against  the  whites  in 
San  Domingo.  M.  de  Wofoin 
managed  to  escape  to  this  country,  but  lost  all  traces  of  his  daughter 
in  the  excitement  and  knew  nothing  of  her  fate.    He  made  his  way 


Figure  266 

Pelisse  of  Sage-green  Silk  with  Quilted  Border 
(from  an  Original  Garment  of  1797). 


mjiii  ij,r     jii 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  277 

to  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  and  while  there  wandered  one  day  into  the 
market-place,  where  he  met  his  daughter's  old  black  nurse.  She 
told  him  that  she  had  brought  "Mademoiselle"  to  America  and  also 
to  Trenton.  Shortly  after  young  Sartori,  who  had  been  sent  from 
Rome  by  his  father  to  visit  this  country,  arrived  at  Trenton  and  fell 
in  love  with  Mademoiselle.  They  were  married  and  lived  at  Lam- 
bertville,  New  Jersey.  Mrs.  Sartori  died  at  the  age  of  forty,  having 
been  the  mother  of  fifteen  children.  The  original  gown  from  which 
this  picture  is  taken  has  been  most  kindly  lent  to  us  for  this  book, 
by  a  direct  descendant  of  the  heroine  of  the  story. 

A  dress  of  a  quaint  cut  and  of  a  fine  glazed  cotton  unknown 
to-day  came  from  Martinique  with  Madame  Chevalier,  who  be- 
came a  pensioner  at  Christ  Church  Hospital,  Philadelphia,  in  the 
last  years  of  the  eighteenth  century  (Figures  248,  342). 

This  fashion  of  short  waists  and  narrow  skirts  for  women  (Figures 
341,  342,  344)  and  high-collared  coats  short  at  the  waist  for  men 
marked  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century. 


CHILDREN'S    GARMENTS 

I  700-1 800 


FINERY 

In  a  frock  neatly  trimmed  with  beautiful  lace, 
And  hair  nicely  dressed,  hanging  over  her  face, 
Thus  decked,  Harriet  went  to  the  house  of  a  friend, 
With  a  large  little  party  the  evening  to  spend. 

"Ah!  how  they  will  all  be  delighted,  I  guess. 
And  stare  with  surprise  at  my  elegant  dress"; 
Thus  said  the  vain  girl,  and  her  Httle  heart  beat, 
Impatient  the  happy  young  party  to  meet. 

But  alas!  they  were  all  too  intent  on  their  fun 
To  observe  the  gay  clothes  this  fine  lady  had  on; 
And  thus  all  her  trouble  quite  lost  its  design, 
For  they  saw  she  was  proud,  but  forgot  she  was  fine. 

'T  was  Lucy,  though  only  in  simple  white  clad 
(Nor  trimmings,  nor  laces,  nor  jewels  she  had). 
Whose  cheerful  good-nature  delighted  them  more 
Than  all  the  fine  garments  that  Harriet  wore. 

'Tis  better  to  have  a  sweet  smile  on  one's  face 
Than  to  wear  a  rich  frock  with  an  elegant  lace. 
For  the  good-natured  girl  is  loved  best  in  the  main 
If  her  dress  is  but  decent,  though  ever  so  plain. 

-J.  T. 


281 


Children's   Garments 

1 700-1 800 


HE  clothes  of  the  children  of  the  eighteenth  century- 
were  marvellously  made  and  quaintly  resembled 
the  garments  of  their  parents.  From  many 
authorities  we  learn  that  children  wore  stays  in 
Colonial  times,  and  one  interesting  specimen,  of 
which  a  picture  is  given  in  Figures  280  and  281, 
has  been  most  kindly  lent  for  this  book.  This 
particular  pair  of  stays  was  evidently  worn  by  a 
child  of  about  two  years  old.  One  little  gown 
Figure  269.  q£    which   I   Cannot    learn    the   exact    history, 

although  it  belonged  to  the  family  of  James  Logan,  is  made  with 
elbow  sleeves  and  square  neck,  the  bodice  evidently  to  be  worn  over 
stays,  and  the  skirt  opening  over  a  petticoat.  This  is  made  of 
flowered  chintz.  (Figure  271.)  Another  child's  dress  is  made  in 
the  same  style,  but  the  bodice  opens  over  a  sort  of  stomacher  in 
front,  and  the  material  is  of  heavy  damask  linen.  The  sleeves  of 
this  gown  are  finished  at  the  cuffs  with  three  tiny  buttons,  worked 
over  with  linen  thread  (Figure  272). 

Dresses  of  a  little  later  period,  probably  1750,  are  made  with  even 

greater  skill,  of  fine  white  cambric  with  low  necks  and  short  sleeves 

fastened  up  with  buttons  and  loops  of  narrow  tape  on  the  shoulder. 

They  are  ornamented  with  groups   of  the  very   tiniest  tucks,  with 

13  283 


284  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

cording  and  tambour  embroidery.  Caps,  which  babies  wore  both  by 
day  and  night,  are  also  of  exquisite  needlework.  Socks,  worked  with 
the  initials  of  the  baby,  were  knitted  of  fine  white  silk.  One  little 
pair  of  this  kind  is  owned  by  the  Pennsylvania  Society  of  Colonial 
Dames,  which  was  worn  in  babyhood  by  Isaac  Norris,  Speaker  of 
the  Continental  Congress.  Little  mitts  of  linen  were  worn  by  these 
babies  too.  The  pictures  given  here  are  of  mitts  worn  in  Pennsyl- 
vania by  babies  of  the  Norris  and  Logan  families  (Figures  272,  277). 
One  minute  pair  is  marked  in  red  silk  with  the  initials  J.  L.  in  mono- 
gram. A  quaint  little  gown  of  buff  chintz  with  flowers  in  different 
colours  scattered  over  it  is  given  in  Figure  276.  This  was  worn  by 
a  child  of  two  years  in  the  West  family. 

In  the  Museum  of  Memorial  Hall,  Philadelphia,  there  is  a  child's 
quilted  hood  of  about  1760  made  of  dark  blue  silk,  and  some  charm- 
ing little  gowns  and  caps  of  even  earlier  date  may  be  seen  in  the 
Museum  of  the  Colonial  Dames  at  Stenton,  Philadelphia  (Figures 
271,  272). 

Very  interesting  are  the  infant  dress  and  cap  shown  in  Figure 
286,  not  only  on  account  of  the  skilled  needlework,  but  also  for  the 
history  associated  with  them.  The  baby  for  whom  these  clothes 
were  made  so  beautifully  grew  in  time  to  be  a  patriotic  doctor  in  New 
York,  and  being  called  upon  one  day,  in  1789,  to  apply  a  fly  blister 
to  the  chest  of  our  great  Washington,  he  mounted  the  poultice  on  a 
piece  of  white  kid  and  decorated  the  edges  with  a  pattern  in  gold 
leaf.  As  he  was  in  the  act  of  placing  the  plaster  the  illustrious  patient 
startled  him  by  the  question,  "Will  it  draw  any  better  for  the  decora- 
tion, young  man?"  We  are  told  that  the  doctor  finished  his  work 
in  great  confusion,  but  he  lived  to  be  proud  of  the  opportunity  which 
has  lent  an  additional  interest  even  to  his  baby  clothes.  It  must  be 
confessed  that  our  picture  fails  to  show  the  exquisite  drawn- work 
where  the  threads  of  sheerest  muslin  have  been  drawn  at  intervals 
to  form  a  stripe  of  open  work  and  a  delicate  pattern  embroidered 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


287 


on  the  filmy  mesh  (Figure  286).  A  simple  everyday  slip  of  printed 
cotton,  white  ground  with  a  pin  dot  of  red,  belonged  to  .the  same 
baby.* 

■Until  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  it  was  customary 
to  dress  children  exactly  like  their  parents.  This  we  learn  from  old 
portraits,  and  very  uncomfortable  must  the  powdered  wigs  and  lace 
stocks  have  been  at  a  Royal  Juvenile  Party  such  as  Queen  Caroline 


Figure  280. 


Figure  281. 


A  Child's  Stays, 


delighted  in  giving  for  the  diversion  of  her  large  family  of  prince- 
lings, where  the  children  were  dressed  in  miniature  copies  of  their 
parents'  court  costumes.f 

In  the  Colonies  the  dress  of  the  children  was  strangely  elaborate. 

In  the  collection  of  Washington's  manuscripts  (edited  by  Ford)  are 
two  lists  of  clothes  ordered  for  the  Custis  children  at  the  tender  ages 
of  four  and  six,  which  would  startle  a  modern  nursery.    Washington 

*  Samuel  Holden  Parsons  Lee,  born  in  Connecticut,  1771. 
t  Chronicles  of  Fashion. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


ordered  for  young  Custis,  his  stepson  (aged  six),  the  following  outfit 

from  England  in  1759: 

One  piece  Irish  Holland  at  4s 

Two  yards  fine  cambric  at  los 

Six  pocket  handkerchiefs  small  and  fine 

Six  pairs  gloves 

Two  laced  hats 

Two  pieces  India  Nankeen 

Six  pairs  fine  thread  stockings 

Four  pairs  coarser  thread  stockings 

Six  pairs  worsted  stockings 

Four  pairs  pumps 

One  summer  suit  of  clothes  to  be  made  of  something  light  and  thin 

One  piece  of   black  hair  ribbon 

One  pair  handsome  silver  shoe  and  knee  buckles 

One  light  duflfel  cloak  with  silver  frogs 

And  for  little  Nellie  Custis,  then  at  the  age  of  four,  the  following 
articles  were  ordered: 

Eight  yards  fine  printed  linen  at  3  s  6d 

One  piece  Irish  Holland  at  4s 

Two  ells  of  fine  Holland  at  los 

Eight  pairs  kid  mits    • 

Four  pairs  gloves 

Two  pairs  silk  shoes 

Four  pairs  Calamanco  shoes 

Four  pairs  leatheV  pumps 

Six  pairs  fine  thread  stockings 

Four  pairs  fine  worsted  stockings 

Two  fans 

Two  masks 

Two  bonnets 

One  stiffened  coat  of  fashionable  silk  made  to  pack  thread  stays 

One-half  piece  of  flowered  Dimity 

Two  yards  fine  cambric  at  los 

Two  caps 

Two  pairs  ruffles 

Two  tucker  bibs  and  aprons,  if  fashionable. 

In  addition  to  this  order  for  suitable  clothing  and  materials,  the  great 
man,  under  whose  beneficent  care  it  was  the  good  fortune  of  the 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


291 


Custis  children  to  come,  added  los.  worth  of  toys,  six  little  books  for 
children  beginning  to  read,  one  fashionably  dressed  baby,  los.  id., 
and  other  toys,  los. 

In  New  England,  too,  children  were  most  richly  attired;  and  we 
read  with  amazement  of  a  boarding-school  outfit  provided  for  two 
maidens  of  Norwich. 

"The  daughters  of  General  Huntington  wei-e  sent  successively 
at  the  ages  of  twelve  and  fourteen  years  to  finish  their  education  at 
a  boarding-school  in  Boston.  The  lady  who  kept  the  establishment 
was  of  high  social  standing,  and  made  a  point  of  taking  her  pupils 
often  into  company,  that  their  manners  might  be  formed  according 
to  the  prevailing  codes  of  politeness  and  etiquette.     Of  course  the 


Figure  286. 
Baby  Dress  and  Cap,  1771. 

wardrobe  prepared  for  the  young  ladies  was  rich  in  articles  of  orna- 
ment and  display.  One  of  the  daughters  who  had  been  carefully 
fitted  out  with  twelve  silk  gowns,  had  been  but  a  short  time  in  Bos- 
ton when  her  instructress  wrote  to  her  parents  requesting  that  another 
dress  should  be  procured  for  her,  made  of  a  certain  rich  fabric  that 
had  recently  been  imported,  in  order  that  her  appearance  in  society 
might  be  equal  to  her  rank.  A  thirteenth  robe  of  silk  of  an  exquisite 
pattern  was  therefore  immediately  procured  and  forwarded."  * 

"Little  misses  at  a  dancing- school  ball  (for  these  were  almost 
the  only  fetes  that  fell  to  their  share  in  the  days  of  discrimination) 
were  dressed  in  frocks  of  lawn  or  cambric.    Worsted  was  then  thought 

*  History  of  Norwich. 


292 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


dress  enough  for  common  days,"*  the  famous  annalist  tells  us,  in 
speaking  of  Philadelphia  children  in  the  Revolutionary  period. 

Marie  Antoinette  was  the  first  mother  to  disregard  the  estab- 
lished court  fashion.     She  had  a  simple  suit  of  jacket  and  trousers 

made  for  the  Dauphin,  but  the 
Chronicle  of  Fashion  assures  us  that 
"even  this,  probably  the  most  sen- 
sible of  all  the  ill-fated  Queen's 
innovations  in  dress,  was  reviled 
as  if  the  paraphernalia  of  full  dress 
was  a  moral  obligation." 
\  In  the  portraits  of  English  chil- 
dren in  the  latter  part  of  the  century, 
we  become  familiar  with  costumes 
at  once  simple  and  picturesque,  as 
in  Figures  269,  277,  278,  279,  287. 
Copley's  well-known  family  group, 
and  the  picture  of  his  family  by  Ben- 
jamin West  (Figure  225),  are  satis- 
factory evidence  of  the  adoption  of 
these  appropriate  fashions  for  the 
children  of  the  Colonies. 

Figures  284  and  285  are  photo- 
graphed from  portraits  of  two  little  girls  in  the  New  York  Colony 
during  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  in  gowns  so  stiff  and  so  unsuitable 
they  would  have  baffled  even  the  graceful  brush  of  a  Reynolds  or 
a  Romney. 


Figure  287. 
Boy  in  Ordinary  Dress,  1790. 


*  Watson's  Annals. 


g   Ji   io   9tiJj' 


MEN'S  APPAREL 
1700-1800 

During  the  Time  of 

Queen  Anne,  George  I,  II,  and  III  of  England, 

Presidents  Washington  and  Adams 

of  the  United  States 


GOVERNOR  WENTWORTH. 

"A  portly  person,  with  three-cornered  hat, 
A  crimson  velvet  coat,  head  high  in  air. 
Gold-headed  cane  and  nicely  powdered  hair, 
And  diamond  buckles  sparkling  at  his  knees, 
Dignified,  stately,  florid,  much  at  ease. 
For  this  was  Governor  Wentworth,  driving  down 
To  Little  Harbour,  just  beyond  the  town, 
Where  his  great  house  stood,  looking  out  to  sea, 
A  goodly  place,  where  it  was  good  to  be. 
It  was  a  pleasant  mansion,  an  abode 
Near  and  yet  hidden  from  the  great  highroad; 
Sequestered  among  trees,  a  noble  pile. 
Baronial  and  Colonial  in  its  style! 

Within,  unwonted  splendours  met  the  eye, 

Panels  and  floors  of  oak,  and  tapestry; 

Carved  chimney  pieces,  where,  on  brazen  dogs. 

Revelled  and  roared  the  Christmas  fire  of  logs; 

Doors  opening  into  darkness  unawares, 

Mysterious  passages  and  flights  of  stairs; 

And  on  the  walls,  in  heavy  gilded  frames. 

The  ancestral  Wentworths,  with  old  Scripture  names. 

Such  was  the  mansion  where  the  great  man  dwelt. 

He  gave  a  splendid  banquet  served  on  plate 
Such  as  became  the  Governor  of  the  State 
Who  represented  England  and  the  King, 
And  was  magnificent  in  everything." 

— "  The  Poet's  Tale." 


297 


Men's  Apparel 


I 700-1 800 


ERIWIGS  and  cocked  hats  were  the  character- 
istic features  of  the  dress  of  men  in  the  first 
half  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

REIGNS   OF   QUEEN  ANNE  AND 
GEORGE  I 

Under  Queen  Anne  the  hats  worn  by  men 
were    smaller    and   were    regularly  cocked   on 
three  sides,   and  the   cuffs  of    the  coats   were 
Figure  294.  very  wide    and   long,  reaching   almost  to   the 

wrist.  The  broad  sword  belt  had  vanished,  and 
the  sword  hilt  could  be  seen  beneath  the  stiffened  skirt  of  the  square- 
cut  coat  (Figure  163).  Blue  or  scarlet  silk  stockings,  with  gold  or  1/ 
silver  clocks,  were  much  worn,  as  were  also  shoes  with  red  heels  and  ,. 
small  buckles  (Figure  163);  velvet  garters  were  worn  over  the  stock- 
ings below  the  knee,  being  fastened  on  one  side  by  small  buckles 
(Figure  163).  Campaign  wigs  imported  from  France  now  became 
popular.  They  were  made  very  full  with  long  curls  hanging 
towards  the  front  (Figure  163).  When  human  hair  was  scarce,  a 
little  horsehair  supplied  the  place,  in   the  part  least  in  sight. 

In  1706  a  peculiar  cock  of  the  hat  came  into  fashion  called  the'^ 
Ramilie,  and  a  long  plaited  tail  to  the  wig  with  a  great  bow  at  the  top 
and  a  small  one  at  the  bottom  known  as  the  Ramilie  wig  (Figure  299). 
Those   who   did    not   wear  powder  and    who   objected    to    the 

299 


300  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

enormous  expense  or  weight  of  the  fashionable  wigs,  wore  their  own 
hair  in  long  curls  to  resemble  them,  but  the  long  popularity  of  the 
uncomfortable  fashion  of  the  periwig  is  indeed  astonishing. 

Dr.  Granger  in  his  Life  of  Charles  II,  speaking  of  the  fashion 
when  it  first  came  into  vogue,  says:  "It  was  observed  that  a  periwig 
procured  many  persons  a  respect  and  even  veneration  which  they 
were  strangers  to  before  and  to  which  they  had  not  the  least  claims 
from  their  personal  merit,"  and  he  quotes  the  amusing  anecdote  of  a 
country  gentleman  who  employed  a  painter  to  place  periwigs  upon 
the  heads  of  several  of  Vandyke's  portraits.  Large  wigs  were 
worn  until  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  A  plain  peruke 
imitating  a  natural  head  of  hair  was  called  a  short  bob. 

A  facetious  barber  in  London  had  the  following  rhyme  painted 
on  the  sign  over  his  door: * 

"Oh  Absolom,  Oh  Absolom, 
Oh  Absolom  my  son, 
If  thou  hadst  worn  a  periwig 
Thou  hadst  not  been  undone." 

The  ridiculous  long  wigs  of  1710  were  decidedly  expensive.  One 
is  mentioned  in  "The  Tatler"  costing  40  guineas. 

We  read  that  in  Philadelphia  early  in  the  eighteenth  century  men 
were  wearing  "cocked  hats,  and  wigs,  coats  with  large  cuffs,  big 
skirts,  lined  and  stiffened  with  buckram.  The  coat  of  a  beau  had 
three  or  four  large  plaits  in  the  skirt,  wadded  almost  like  a  coverlet 
to  keep  them  smooth,  cuffs  very  large  up  to  the  elbows,  the  collars 
were  flat  and  low,  so  as  readily  to  expose  the  close  plaited  neck-stock 
of  fine  linen  cambric  and  the  large  silver  stock-buckle  on  the  back 
of  the  neck,  shirts  with  hand  ruffles,  sleeves  finely  plaited,  breeches 
close  fitted,  with  silver,  stone  or  paste  buckles,  shoes  or  pumps  with 
silver  buckles  of  various  sizes  and  patterns,  thread,  worsted  and  silk 
stockings.  The  very  boys  often  wore  wigs,  and  their  clothing  in 
general  was  similar  to  that  of  the  men." 

*  Hone's  Every  Day  Book. 


/IMlijiS 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


303 


In  the  year  17 19  Jonathan  Dickinson,  a  Friend,  in  writing  to 
London  for  his  clothes,  says,  "  I  want  for  myself  and  my  three  sons,  each 
a  wig — good   light   bobs." 

The  reign  of  George  I 
ofEers  no  distinctive  changes 
for  remark.  Wigs  held 
their  ground,  and  in  1720 
white  hair  for  the  manu- 
facture of  them  "brought 
a  monstrous  price." 

Heavy  cloaks  or  Roque- 
laures  were  still  worn  by 
men  and  were  often 
trimmed  with  fur.  Men- 
tion is  made  in  letters  from 
New  England  about  1720 
of  a  striped  camlet  cloak 
lined  with  a  plain  colour. 
Drugget  was  also  used  for 
the  purpose  (Figure   297). 

The  ordinary  costume 
of  gentlemen  during  the 
reigns  of  Queen  Anne  and 
George  I'  is  thus  briefly 
summed  up  by  M.  Planche 
in  his  "History  of  British 
Costume."  He  says: 
"Square  cut  coats  and  long 
flapped  waistcoats  with 
pockets  in  them,  the  latter 
meeting  the  stockings,  still  drawn  up  over  the  knee  so  high  as  entirely 
to  conceal  the  breeches,  but  gartered  below  it;  large  hanging  cuffs  and 


,i.J^- 


Figure  297. 

Taken    from    a    Genuine    Roquelaure,   Middle  of 

the  Eighteenth  Century. 


304 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


lace  ruffles.  The  skirt  of  the  coat  stiffened  out  with  wire  or  buckram 
from  beneath  which  peeped  the  hilt  of  the  sword  deprived  of  the 
cord  and  splendid  belt  in  which  it  swung  in  the  preceding  Reigns. 
Blue  or  scarlet  silk  stockings  with  gold  or  silver  clocks.  Lace  neck- 
cloths, square-toed,  short  quartered  shoes,  with  high  red  heels  and 
small  buckles;  very  long  and  formally  curled  perukes  (or  periwigs), 
black  riding  wigs,  and  night  cap  wigs;  small  three  cornered  hats 
laced  with  gold  or  silver  galloons,  and  sometimes  trimmed  with  feathers 
comprised  the  habit  of  the  noblemen  and  gentlemen  from  1702  to  1724." 
As  in  all  ages  and  all  climes,  variations  of  the  prevailing  style 
were  indulged  in  by  gay  young  men  about  town.  The  pet  extrav- 
agance at  this  period  was  beautiful  lace  in  ruffles  and  neckties. 


Figure  298, 
Periwig  with  Tail,  1700. 


Figure  299. 
Ramilie  Wig,  1730. 


Figure  30x3. 
Bag  Wig,  1750. 


Queen  Anne  had  a  zealous  care  for  the  English  church  in  America 
and  took  personal  pleasure  in  sending  beautiful  services  of  silver  to 
parishes  in  all  her  colonies.  Many  of  these  may  be  seen  to-day  with 
an  historic  inscription  and  the  Queen's  initials  engraved  in  the  simple 
script  of  her  time.  In  her  reign  the  dress  of  the  English  clergyman 
was  inconspicuous  but  distinctive,  and  with  slight  modifications  was 
worn  by  the  majority  of  clergymen  in  America.  Knee-breeches  fitting 
close,  buckled  shoes,  long  black  coats,  and  wigs  were  the  prevailing 
characteristics  in   everyday  life.     In   connection  with  the  portrait 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  307 

of  Bishop  White  of  Pennsylvania  given  in  Figure  358,  it  is  interesting 
to  recall  the  story  told  by  himself  of  his  appointment  as  chaplain  to  the 
Continental  Congress.  He  was  riding  with  a  friend  when  a  messen- 
ger from  Congress  overtook  him.  He  hesitated  for  a  few  moments, 
realizing  the  danger  of  enrolling  himself  with  the  cause  of  the  patriots, 
but  after  a  short  deliberation  he  turned  his  horse's  head  and  accom- 
panied the  emissary  to  General  Washington's  headquarters  before 
Yorktown.*  It  was  a  brave  step  which  he  never  regretted,  and  his 
name  has  ever  been  associated  with  the  early  sessions  of  our  Congress 
in  Philadelphia.  Bishop  White  was  consecrated  at  Lambeth  Palace 
in  1787,  and,  despite  his  republican  partisanship,  amid  many  tokens 
of  good  will  on  the  part  of  the  king  and  others. 

REIGN  OF  GEORGE  II 

There  are  numerous  authorities  for  the  costume  of  George  II's 
reign,  but  the  versatile  genius  of  Hogarth  I  alone  has  furnished  us 
with  sufficient  material  for  a  study  of  the  dress  of  all  classes  and  con- 
ditions of  the  English  men  and  women  of  his  day.  His  "Five  Orders 
of  Periwigs"  gives  us  the  favorite  varieties  of  that  style  of  head-gear, 
which  was  certainly  a  very  expensive  fashion,  for  in  1734  we  read 
that  in  the  Colonies  periwigs  of  light  gray  human  hair  were  four 
guineas  each.  Light  grizzle  ties  were  three  guineas,  and  other  colours 
in  proportion,  down  to  twenty-five  shillings.  Light  gray  human 
hair  cue-perukes  were  from  two  guineas  to  fifteen  shillings  each,  and 
bob  perukes  of  the  same  material  a  little  dearer,  real  gray  hair 
being  most  in  fashion,  and  dark  of  "  no  estimation." 

The  court  dress  of  noblemen  in  1735  is  described  as  a  coat  made 
of  coloured  velvet  or  fine  cloth  laced  with  gold  or  silver,  breeches  to 
match;  waistcoat  of  rich  flowered  silk  of  a  large  pattern  on  a  white 
ground.  Wigs  were  still  worn  with  large  curls  standing  up  from 
the  forehead  (Figure  296). 

*  Simpson's  Lives  of  Eminent  Philadelphians.  t  Born  1697;  died  1764. 


3o8 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


Fairholt  in  his  "History  of  English  Dress"  says:   "By  the  cock 
of  the   hat,   the   man  who  wore   it  was  known;   and   they  varied 

from  the  modest  broad 
brim  of  the  clergy  and 
country-man  to  the 
slightly  upturned  hat 
of  the  country  gentle- 
man or  citizen,  or  the 
more  decidedly  fash- 
ionable cock  worn  by 
merchantmen,  and 
would  -  be  -  fashionable 
Londoners;  while  a 
very  pronounced  a  la 
militaire  cock  was 
affected  by  the  gallant 
about  the  court."  All 
of  these  styles  may  be 
seen  in  the  pictures  of 
Hogarth.  These  hats 
were  usually  made  of 
soft  felt  with  a  large 
brim  caught  up  by 
three  loops  of  cord  to 
a  button  on  the  top. 
Being  soft,  they  could 
be  crushed  under  the 
arm  and  each  flap 
could  be  let  down  at 
pleasure  in  case  of 
wind,  or  rain,  or  sun.  Mr.  Wingfield  speaks  of  a  hat  "unlooped 
although  it  doth  not  rain,"  and  observes  that  in  one  of  Cibber's 


Figure  303. 
Back  View  of  Figure  229,  Middle  Eighteenth  Century  (from 
the  Original  Costume). 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  311 

comedies  we  find  a  footman  ''unlooping  his  hat  to  protect  his 
powdered  head  from  the  wet." 

To  use  the  snuff-box  gracefully  was  an  accomplishment  considered 
necessary  to  the  young  man  of  fashion  on  his  entrance  into  the  gay 
world  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Made  of  every  sort  of  metal,  adorned 
with  precious  stones  or  costly  miniature  paintings,  the  snuff-box  was 
in  great  demand,  and  considered  as  indispensable  on  occasions  of  full 
dress  as  the  fan.  Many  of  these  boxes  which  were  used  in  the  Colonies 
have  been  preserved.  In  Figure  239  is  given  a  picture  of  one  owned  by 
Madame  Le  Comte,  for  the  fashion  of  using  snufif  was  not  confined 
to  men. 

A  beau  of  this  time  is  spoken  of  as  "appearing  in  a  different  style 
of  wig  every  day,  and  thus  perplexing  the  lady  to  whom  he  was 
paying  his  addresses,  by  a  new  face  every  time  they  met  during 
the  first  months  of  their  courtship.  Hats  could  be  moulded  in  so 
many  different  cocks  as  to  change  the  whole  appearance  of  the 
wearer."  * 

Hats  had  broader  brims  (Figure  197)  and  "were  cocked  triangu- 
larly, and  pulling  them  off  by  way  of  salutation  was  invariably  the 
fashion  for  all  who  had  any  breeding,"  according  to  a  famous  letter- 
writer  of  that  day.  Boots  were  worn  for  riding,  with  large  broad 
tops  which  reached  half-way  up  the  thigh. 

The  fashionable  costume  for  men  in  the  Colonies,  identical  with 
the  prevailing  style  in  England,  was  not  subject  to  quite  as  many 
changes  as  the  dress  of  the  women. 

In  1740  a  "jockey  coat"  was  ordered  from  Boston  of  fine  cloth 
with  waistcoat  and  breeches  to  match.  It  is  "to  be  trimmed  plain, 
only  with  a  button  of  the  same  sort  as  that  of  the  waistcoat  but  pro- 
portionately bigger."  The  same  gendeman  ordered  "as  much  three 
pile  black  velvet  as  is  made  for  men's  wear,  and  the  best  that  can 
be  had  for  the  money,  as  much  as  will  make  a  complete  suit."    In 

*  The  Spectator. 
14 


312  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

addition  to  this  he  desires  a^ght-gown  of  a  deep  crimson  Genoa 
damask  lined  with  the  same  colour. 

About  this  time  there  was  a  slight  change  in  shoes.  Square  toes 
went  out  of  fashion  and  were  replaced  by  pointed  toes  for  both  sexes. 
(See  Figures  229,  231.)  Buckles  became  the  ambition  of  all  classes, 
and  were  worn  of  every  size  and  shape. 

Claret  coloured  cloth  was  at  that  time  considered  the  correct 
thing  for  suits,  and  light  blue  with  silver  button-holes  and  silver  garters 
at  the  knees,  was  also  very  fashionable  between  1740  and  1751. 

Pigtails  came  into  fashion  about   the   middle  of  the  eighteenth 

century. 

" '  But  pray  what's  that  much  Hke  a  whip, 
Which  with  the  air  does  wav'ring  skip 
From  side  to  side,  and  hip  to  hip?' 
'Sir,  do  not  look  so  fierce  and  big 
It  is  a  modish  pigtail  wig.'  " 

Instead  of  swords,  many  of  the  gay  young  sparks  carried  long 
oak  sticks  with  ugly  faces  carved  on  the  handles. 

One  of  the  marked  characteristics  of  the  men  of  fashion  in  the 
eighteenth  century  was  a  mincing  air.  We  read  of  Horace  Walpole 
that  "he  always  entered  a  room  with  that  style  of  affected  delicacy 
which  fashion  had  made  almost  natural;  with  chapeau-hras  be- 
tween his  hands  as  if  he  wished  to  compress  it,  or  under  his  arm; 
knees  bent,  and  feet  on  tip-toe  as  if  afraid  of  a  wet  floor."  * 

About  1740  the  large  cocked  hat  and  full-bottomed  wig  went 
out  of  style,  and  the  lace  cravat  with  long  ends,  which  had  been  in 
fashion  for  about  thirty  years,  gave  place  to  a  small  black  cravat 
worn  with  a  ruffled  shirt  front  (Figure  197.)  There  was  a  change 
in  the  coat  also.  A  broad  coUar  which  turned  back  round  the  neck 
contrasted  strangely  with  the  total  want  of  collar  in  the  earlier  style, 
while  the  cuffs  became  very  deep,  reaching  above  the  elbows  and  not 
very  wide  at  the  wrists.  The  coat  itself  fitted  close  to  the  body  with 
skirt  reaching  to  the  calf  of  the  leg.     This  change  of  style  did  not 

*  Miss  Hawkins'  Memoirs. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


315 


long  remain  popular  even  in  England.     In  prints  of  1744  we  again 
notice  the  wide  cuffs  and  wider  hat  brims  of  a  few  years  before. 

About  1750  muff- 
tees,  or  little  woolen 
muffs  of  various 
colours,  were  used  by 
men  in  the  Colonies. 
They  were  "just  big 
enough  to  admit  both 
hands  and  long  enough 
to  screen  the  wrists, 
which  were  then  more 
exposed  than  now ;  for 
they  wore  short  sleeves 
to  their  coats  on  pur- 
pose to  display  their 
fine  plaited  linen  shirt 
sleeves  with  their  gold 
cuff  buttons  and  on  oc- 
casions ruffles  of  lace." 
(Figures  182,  214,) 

In  the  summer  sea- 
son men  often  wore 
calico  morning  gowns 
at  all  times  of  the  day  in 
the  street  as  well  as  at 
home,  A  damask  ban- 
yan was  much  the  same 
thing  by  another  name. 

We    can    hardly 
wonder  that  in  Virginia  and  the  southern  colonies  the  hot  wigs  and 
cumbrous  petticoats  prescribed   by   fashion  were  often   found   too 


lyst:;^. 


^s^l^^    ,^.j 


Figure  314. 
Gentleman  in  Banyan  and  Cap. 


3i6  HISTORIC  DRESS,  IN  AMERICA 

uncomfortable  for  daily  wear,  and  we  read  with  a  certain  sense  of 
relief,  of  a  negligee  costume  of  banyans  and  nightcaps  adopted  by 
the  planters  and  their  wives. 

The  climate  must  be  remembered  as  a  potent  inducement  to  go 
without  the  long  curled  wigs  and  wadded  coats;  and,  alas,  the  discom- 
fort of  stiff  stays  and  voluminous  petticoats  in  an  American  summer! 

REIGN  OF  GEORGE  III 

In  1760,  when  wigs  were  powdered,  they  were  frequently  sent  for 
that  purpose  in  a  wooden  box  to  the  barber  to  be  dressed  on  his  block- 
head. "Brown  wigs,"  for  which  a  brown  powder  was  used,  were 
worn,  but  were  less  fashionable  than  "the  white  disguise." 

On  ceremonious  occasions,  if  wigs  were  not  worn,  the  hair  was 
craped,  curled,  and  powdered  by  barbers. 

About  1770,  when  wigs  went  out  of  favour  and  the  natural  hair 
was  preferred,  it  became  the  fashion  to  dress  it  in  a  queue,  or  to 
wear  it  in  a  black  silk  bag  tied  with  a  bow  of  black  ribbon  (Figures 
303^  318,  352,  353,  354,  355). 

With  the  queues  belong  frizzled  sidelocks,  and  toupees  formed  of 
the  natural  hair,  or  in  the  absence  of  a  long  tie  a  splice  was  added 
to  it  (Figures  352,  353,  354,  355).  Such  was  the  general  passion 
for  the  longest  possible  whip  of  hair,  that  sailors  and  boatmen  used 
to  tie  theirs  in  eel  skins  to  aid  its  growth. 

A  curious  silhouette  of  Washington  by  Folwell  represents  him 
with  what  is  supposed  to*  be  a  fine  net  worn  over  hair  and  queue 
to  keep  the  powder  in  place  (Figure  357). 

A  colonial  item  of  interest  is  gleaned  from  Washington's  manu- 
scripts.    In  1759  he  ordered  from  England  for  his  own  use: 

"A  New-market  great  coat  with  a  loose  hood  (Figure  364)  to  it, 
made  of  Blew  Drab  or  broadcloth  with  straps  before,  according 
to  the  present  taste — let  it  be  made  of  such  cloth  as  will  turn  a  good 
shower  of  rain." 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


319 


''A  light  summer  suit  of  Duroy  by  the  measure, 
Four  pieces  best  India  nankeen, 
Two  best  plain  beaver  hats  at  20s. 
One  piece  of  black  satin  ribbon, 
I  sword  belt,  red  morocco  or  buflf,  no  buckles  or  rings," 

are  also  ordered  on  the  same  date. 

In  Watson's  "Annals  of  Philadelphia"  we  read:  "Coats  of  red 
cloth  were  considerably  worn,  even  by  boys,  and  plush  breeches 
and  plush  vests  of  various  colours,  were  in  common  use.  Everlasting, 
or  durant,  made  of  worsted,  was  a  fabric  of  great  use  for  breeches, 
and  sometimes  for  vests 
which  had  great  depend- 
ing pocket  flaps,  and  the 
breeches  were  very  short 
above  the  stride  because 
the  art  of  suspending 
them  by  suspenders  was 
unknown.  It  was  then 
the  test  of  a  well-formed 
man,  that  he  could  by 
his  natural  form  readily 

keep  his  breeches  above  his  hips,  and  his  stockings  without  garter- 
ing, above  the  calf  of  the  leg. 

"  In  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war  many  of  the  American  officers 
introduced  the  use  of  Dutch  blankets  for  great  coats  (Figure  364). 
Large  silver  buttons  worn  on  coats  and  vests  were  a  mark  of  wealth. 
Some  people  had  the  initials  of  their  names  engraved  on  each  button. 
Sometimes  they  were  made  out  of  real  quarter  dollars,  with  the  coinage 
impression  still  retained;  these  were  used  for  the  coats,  and  the 
eleven-penny-bits  for  vests  and  breeches.  One  old  gentleman  wore 
an  entire  suit  decorated  with  conch  shell  buttons,  silver  mounted." 

In  New  England  before  the  Revolution,  "powdered  wigs  full  and  ( 
curled  were  worn  by  clergymen  and  other  dignitaries  (Figures  304, 


JACK-  RIDING 

BOOT.iyOZ-.    GAITEX.IJZ/:  BOOTS.  l7S/f-7 

Figure  319.      Figure  320.  Figure  321.  Figure  322. 


320  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


306,  307,  308,  317,  326,  329).  A  full-dress  suit  for  a  gentleman 
was  usually  made  of  silk,  with  trimmings  of  gold  and  silver  lace, 
the  waistcoat  often  richly  embroidered."*  Roquelaures  and  great 
coats  were  worn  of  cloth  or  camlet  in  all  the  colonies. 

Mr.  Sydney  George  Fisher,  the  historian,  despite  his  Quaker 
ancestry,  exclaims  with  unwonted  enthusiasm :  "Those  were  brave  days 
when  the  judges  on  the  bench  wore  scarlet  robes  faced  with 
black;  when  the  tailor  shops,  instead  of  the  dull-coloured  woolens 
which  they  now  offer,  advertised,  as  in  the  New  York  Gazetteer 
of  May  13,  1773,  'scarlet,  buff,  green,  blue,  crimson,  white,  sky 
blue,  and  other  coloured  superfine  cloths';  when  John  Hancock,  of 
penmanship  fame,  is  described  in  his  home  in  Boston  with  a  red 
velvet  skull-cap  lined  with  white  linen  which  was  turned  over  the  edge 
of  the  velvet  about  three  inches  deep,  a  blue  damask  dressing-gown 
lined  with  silk,  a  white  stock,  satin  embroidered  waistcoat,  black  satin 
breeches,  white  silk  stockings  to  his  knees,  and  red  morocco  slippers,  "f 
V-  ^\  ^y  Thf^,,:fi^st  umbrellas  to  ki^p  off  the  ram  were  df  oiled  linen,  very 
coarse  and  clumsy,  with  rattan  sticks.  Before  their  time  some  physi- 
cians and  ministers  used  an  oiled  linen  cape  hooked  round  their  shoul- 
ders, looking  not  unlike  the  big  coat-capes  now  in  use.  They  were 
only  used  for  severe  storms,  like  modern  water-proofs. 

We  believe  it  was  about  the  year  1771  that  the  first  efforts  were 
made  in  Philadelphia  to  introduce  the  use  of  umbrellas  in  summer 
as  a  protection  from  the  sun.  "They  were  then  scouted  in  the  public 
'Gazette'  as  a  ridiculous  effeminacy.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
physicians  recommended  them  to  keep  off  vertigoes,  epilepsies,  sore 
eyes,  fevers,  etc." 

Watches  were  worn  in  fob  pockets  with  seals  attached  by  a  ribbon, 
but  they  were  not  in  common  use  until  the  end  of  the  century.  { 

*  History  of  Norwich,  by  F.  M.  Caulkins. 

t  Men,  Women,  and  Manners  of  Colonial  Days. 

X  Watson's  Annals. 


niau]   l^'idO 


r.l   ni 

riHuoil 

.Oil!;, 

.  ^  c  ^ 

■'Iw 

HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


323 


Of  New  York  in  the  eighteenth  century  we  read:  "Whether  it  be 
in  the  journals  of  visitors  or  in  private  correspondence,  we  always  get 
the  impression  of  a  lively  and 
cheerful  town,  where  people  like 
to  come  and  from  which  they 
are  sorry  to  go  away.  In  the 
old  days,  indeed,  there  was  a 
restful  sense  of  leisure  which  the 
rapid  pace  of  modem  life  has 
ruthlessly  destroyed."* 

Although  the  style  of  living  in 
colonial  New  York  was  comfort- 
able, with  little  display,  when  we 
come  to  the  subject  of  dress,  we 
find  the  case  was  very  different. 
Early  in  the  eighteenth  century 
the  streets  of  New  York  were  gor- 
geous with  elaborate  costumes. 

Gay  masculine  garments  are 
described  in  inventories:  Green 
silk  breeches,  flowered  with  sil- 
ver and  gold,  silver  gauze 
breeches,  yellow  fringed  gloves, 
lacquered  hats,  laced  shirts  and 
neck-cloths. 

From  1760  to  1770,  gentle- 
men in  Massachusetts  were  wear- 
ing "hats  with  broad  brims 
turned  up  into  three  corners 
with  loops  at  the  sides;  long 
coats    with    large    pocket-folds    and    cuflfs,    and    without    collars 

*  Dutch  and  Quaker  Colonies,  by  Fiske. 


-JjM^i'^ 


Figure  328. 
Working  Garb,  Middle  Eighteenth  Century, 
1750- 


324  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

(Figures  327  and  334.)  The  buttons  were  commonly  plated,  but 
sometimes  of  silver,  often  as  large  as  a  half-dollar.  Shirts  had 
bosom  and  wrist  ruffles;  and  all  wore  gold  or  silver  shirt-buttons 
at  the  wrist  united  by  a  link.  The  waistcoat  was  long,  with  large 
pockets;  and  the  neckcloth  or  scarf  was  of  fine  white  linen  or  figured 
stuff  broidered  and  the  ends  hanging  loosely  on  the  breast.  The 
breeches  fitted  close,  with  silver  buckles  at  the  knees.  The  legs 
were  covered  with  gray  knitted  stockings  which  on  holidays 
were  exchanged  for  black  or  white  silk.  Boots  with  broad  white 
tops,  or  shoes  with  straps  and  large  silver  buckles,  completed  the 
equipment."*  It  seems  strange  indeed  that,  during  the  eighteenth 
century  when  men  had  so  much  fighting  on  hand,  they  should  have 
paid  such  attention  to  dress  and  fashion,  but  abundant  proof 
exists  in  the  letters  and  diaries  of  the  day  that  every  detail,  the  width 
of  the  cuff,  the  length  of  the  cravat,  the  size  even  of  the  button-holes, 
was  to  the  masculine  mind  a  matter  of  grave  import.  Apparently 
the  sword  knot  received  as  much  attention  as  the  sword.  Even  "the 
greatest  American,"  in  his  youthful  days,  paid  exact  attention  to  details. 
"Memorandum:  To  have  my  coat  made  by  the  following  direc- 
tions; to  be  made  a  frock  with  the  lapel  breast,  the  lapel  to  contain 
on  each  side  six  button-holes,  and  to  be  about  five  or  six  inches  wide 
all  the  way,  equal,  and  to  turn  as  the  breast  of  the  coat  does,  to  have  it 
made  very  long  waisted  and  in  length  to  come  down  below  the  bend 
ef  the  knee.  The  waist  from  the  arm-pit  to  the  fold  to  be  exactly  as 
long  or  longer  than  from  thence  to  the  bottom,  not  to  have  more  than 
one  fold  in  the  skirt  and  the  top  to  be  made  to  turn  in,  and  three 
button-holes,  the  laps  at  the  top  to  turn  as  the  cape  of  the  coat, 
and  bottom  to  come  parallel  with  the  button-holes,  the  last  button- 
hole in  the  breast  to  be  right  opposite  to  the  button  on  the  hip."t 
At  this  time  Washington  was  only  a  boy  of  fifteen. 

*  History  of  Lynn,  Mass.,  by  Lewis  and  Newhall. 

t  The  writings  of  George  Washington,  edited  by  W.  C.  Ford. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


327 


We  learn  that  English  tradesmen  were  apt  to  take  advantage  of 
their  colonial  customers,  and  that  Washington  had  occasion  to  protest 
against  things  being  sent  to  him  from  London  that  were  unfashionable 
and  inferior  in  quality.     We  give  his  letter  of  September  28th,  1760: 

''And  here  gentlemen,  I  cannot  forbear  ushering  in  a  complaint 
of  the  exorbitant  prices  of  my  goods 
this  year  all  of  which  are  to  come  to 
hand.  For  many  years  I  have  im- 
ported goods  from  London  as  well  as 
other  ports  of  Britain,  and  can  truly 
say  I  never  had  such  a  penny-worth 
before.  It  would  be  a  needless  task 
to  enumerate  every  article  that  I  have 
cause  to  except  against.  Let  it  suffice 
to  say  that  woolens,  linnens,  nails, 
etc.,  are  mean  in  quality  but  not  in 
price,  for  in  this  they  excel  indeed, 
far  above  any  I  have  ever  had. 

"Let  us  beseech  you  gentlemen  to 
give  the  necessary  directions  for  pur- 
chasing of  them  upon  the  best  terms. 
It  is  needless  for  me  to  particularize, 
the  sorts,  quality  or  taste  I  would 
choose  to  have  them  in,  unless  it  is 
observed.  And  you  may  believe  me 
when  I  tell  you  that  instead  of  getting 
things  good  and  fashionable  in  their 

several  kinds,  we  often  have  articles  sent  us  that  could  only  have  been 
used  by  our  forefathers  in  the  days  of  yore,  'tis  a  custom  I  have  some 
reason  to  believe  with  many  shopkeepers  and  tradesmen  in  London, 
when  they  know  goods  are  bespoke  for  exportation,  to  palm  some- 
times old  and  sometimes  very  slight  and  indifferent  goods  upon  us. 


Figure  333. 
Sporting  Dress,  Middle  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury (after  Highmore). 


328  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

taking  care  at  the  same  time  to  advance  lo,  15  or  perhaps  20  per 
cent,  upon  them.  My  packages,  per  the  '  Polly,'  Capt.  Hooper,  are 
not  yet  come  to  hand,  and  the  Lord  only  knows  when  they  will 
without  more  trouble  than  they  are  worth." 

According  to  Fairholt,  the  costume  of  the  ordinary  classes  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  was  exceedingly  simple, 
consisting  of  a  plain  coat,  buttoned  up  the  front,  a  long  waistcoat 
reaching  to  the  knees,  but  having  capacious  pockets  with  great  over- 
lapping flaps,  a  plain  bobwig,  a  hat  slightly  turned  up,  and  high 
quartered  shoes. 

We  read  that,  in  1 746,  flat  cocked  hats  were  worn  by  English  sailors, 
and  twenty  years  later,  hats  of  glazed  leather  or  of  woolen  thrums, 
closely  woven,  and  looking  like  rough  knap;  and  their  "small  clothes," 
as  we  would  say  now,  were  immense  wide  petticoat-breeches,  open 
at  the  knees,  and  not  extending  below  them.  Labouring  men  wore 
ticklenberg  linen  for  shirts,  and  striped  ticken  breeches,  and  in  winter 
heavy  coats  of  gray  duroy.  The  leathern  breeches  worn  by  men  and 
boys  were  made  without  any  opening  flaps,  and,  according  to  Watson, 
were  so  full  and  free  in  girth  that  the  wearers  ordinarily  changed 
the  rear  to  the  front  if  any  signs  of  wear  appeared.  Aprons  of  leather 
were  used  by  all  tradesmen  and  workingmen. 

In  a  paper  of  1771,  a  reward  of  ten  pounds  is  offered  for  the  arrest 
of  a  man  named  William  Davis  who  robbed  the  church  at  Wilmington 
of  its  hangings  and  had  a  green  coat  made  of  them.  Green  was  very 
fashionable  at  this  period. 

AFTER  THE  REVOLUTION 

At  his  second  inauguration,  in  Philadelphia,  1793,  Washington's 
costume  was  "  a  full  suit  of  black  velvet,"  cut  in  the  fashion  of  Figure 
302,  "his  hair  powdered  and  in  a  bag;  diamond  knee  buckles  and  a 
light  sword  with,  gray  scabbard.  Behind  him  was  Jefferson,  gaunt, 
ungainly,  square-shouldered,  with  foxy  hair,  dressed  in  a  blue  coat, 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


33^ 


small  clothes,  and  vest  of  crimson ;  near  by  was  pale,  reflective  Madison 
and  burly,  bustling  Knox."     Unfortunately  for  us,  their  dress  on  that 
occasion    is    not    de- 
scribed.    Adams  was 
clad  in  a    full  suit  of 
fine  gray  cloth. 

Powder,  worn  for 
a  hundred  years,  went 
out  of  fashion  in  1794, 
but  the  hair  was  still 
worn  in  a  queue  tied 
with  a  black  ribbon. 

The  following  list 
of  a  gentleman's  outfit 
gives  an  insight  into  a 
fashionable  wardrobe 
at  this  time : 

"A  light  coloured 
broadcloth  coat,  with 
pearl  buttons ;  breeches 
of  the  same  cloth; 
ditto,  black  satin ;  vest, 
swansdown  buff 
striped ;  ditto,  mole- 
skin chequer  figure ; 
ditto,  satin  figured; 
ditto,  Marseilles  white; 
ditto,  muslinet  figured ; 

Undervest,    faced   with    a  Workingmanm  the  Last  Half  of  the  Eighteenth  Century 
'  (from  a  Contemporary  Print). 

red  cassimere;   two 

ditto,    flannel;     one   pair   of   flannel   drawers;     one   ditto;    cotton 

ditto;  one  pair  black  patent  silk  hose;   one  ditto;   white  ditto;   one 


'3.il.Stci±r 


Figure  339. 


332  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

ditto;  striped  ditto;  ten  or  a  dozen  white  silk  hose;  three  pair  of 
cotton  hose ;  four  pair  of  gauze  ditto ;  twelve  neckerchiefs ;  six  pocket 
handkerchiefs,  one  of  them  a  bandanna;  a  chintz  dressing  gown; 
a  pair  of  silk  gloves;  old  kid  ditto." 

Coats  for  men  became  shorter  in  the  waist  and  all  the  garments 
were  worn  fitting  more  closely  to  the  figure.  The  tails  of  the  coats 
were  cut  away  in  front  and  were  quite  long  in  the  back.  Although 
a  few  people  might  have  been  seen  wearing  cocked  hats  after  1800, 
a  soft,  low-crowned  straight-brimmed  hat  came  into  fashion  in  1794. 
At  that  time  waistcoats  were  cut  low  over  ruffled  shirt  fronts.  Soft 
stocks  were  worn  around  the  neck,  finished  with  a  bow  and  ends 
under  the  chin. 

Inventory  of  the  wearing  apparel  of  a  gentleman  in  Connecticut 
at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century : 

I  Great  Coat  3  pr.  Old  Breeches 

I  do  do  16  Cotton   &  Linen  Shirts 

I  Black  Coat  4  pr.  Worcested  Hose 

I  Common  do  ♦  4  Linen  &  Cotton  do 

5  Old  Coats  2  pr.  plaited  do 

4  pr.  black  Breeches  2  pr.  black  silk  do 

5  pr.  velveteen  do  i  Morning  Gown 

3  worcested  waistcoats  3  pr.  Cotton  breeches 

1  velvet  do,  i  bufif  5  pocket  Handkerchiefs 

I  Eider  down  do  i  pr.  Gingham  Trowsers 

I  plaid  Gown  7  waistcoats 

1  Coatee  3  Neck  handkfs. 

2  Hats  I  White  waistcoat 

7  pr.  Woolen  Hose  3  Under  Waistcoats 

I  pr.  Boots  2  pr.  leather  mittens 

4  pr.  Shoes  i  pr.  woolen  do 

I  pr.  overalls  i  pr.  hnen  and  leather  Gloves 

A  great-coat  of  blue  camlet  with  several  short  capes,  long  of  waist 
and  large  of  button,  was  the  popular  garment  in  severe  weather. 
Trousers  of  leather  and  leggings  of  deer-skin  supplemented  the  coat 
as  a  protection  against  storms.  An  extra  pair  of  stocking  legs  well 
tucked  into  the  low  shoes  was  a  homely  substitute  for  leggings,  and 


% 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  335 

overshoes   of   very   heavy   leather   were   sometimes  worn   over   the 
ordinary  shoes. 

LEGAL  JDRESS  IN  THE  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY 

Martin  mentions  a  portrait  of  James  Logan  as  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Province  of  Pennsylvania  which  represents  him  in  gown,  bands, 
and  wig.  The  original  colour  of  the  gown  is  hard  to  determine  in 
the  portrait.  In  shape  it  represents  an  academic  gown,  and  may 
have  been  worn  in  more  than  one  capacity,  as  that  distinguished 
colonist  played  many  parts  in  his  day.  The  dignified  garment  in 
question  would  equally  become  the  governor  and  the  chief  justice. 
(Figure  323.) 

In  his  diary,  under  date  of  1787,  Manasseh  Cutler,  describing  a 
visit  to  the  State  House,  says:  "In  this  Hall  the  Courts  are  held  and 
as  you  pass  the  aisle  you  have  a  full  view  of  the  Court.  The  Supreme 
Court  was  now  sitting.  This  bench  consists  of  only  three  judges. 
Their  robes  are  scarlet,  the  lawyers'  black.  The  Chief  Judge  McKean 
sitting  with  his  hat  on,  which  is  the  custom,  but  struck  me  as  being 
very  odd  and  seemed  to  derogate  from  the  dignity  of  a  judge."* 

Among  other  customs  brought  over  from  England  by  the  legal  pro- 
fession is  the  practice  still  in  use  of  carrying  briefs  and  papers  in  bags. 
"Lawyers'  bags,"  an  English  authority  asserts,  "were,  until  a  compara- 
tively recent  date,  green,  but  leaders  of  the  chancery  and  common  law 
bars  carried  red  bags.  Chancery  juniors,  it  is  stated,  were  permitted 
to  carry  blue  bags,  etiquette  forbidding  them  to  carry  bags  of  the 
same  colour  as  their  leaders."  f 

In  those  days  (latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century)  it  was  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Supreme  Court  to  hold  sessions  in  the  various  counties. 
When  the  Supreme  Court  came  to  Harrisburg  (1777-78)  to  hold 
court,  numbers  of  the  citizens  of  the  place— as  many  as  two  hundred 

*  Life,  Journab  and  Correspondence  of  Rev.  Manassah  Cutler,  LL.D. 
fThe  King's  Peace,  by  Inderwick. 


33^ 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


people  at  a  time — would  go  out  on  horseback  to  meet  the  judges  and 
escort  them  to  town.  The  sheriff  with  his  rod  of  office  and  other  public 


Figure  345. 
A  Doctor  of  Civil  Law,  End  of  the  Eighteenth  Century  (from  an  Old  Print). 

officers  and  members  of  the  bar  would  attend  on  the  occasion,  and 
each  morning  while  the  Chief  Justice  was  in  town  the  sheriff  and 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


339 


constables  escorted  him  from  his  lodgings  to  the  court-room.  When  on 
the  bench,  he  sat  with  his  hat  on  and  was  dressed  in  a  scarlet  gown. 
A  "  Grand  Federal  Procession "  took  place  in  Philadelphia  on 
the  ■  Fourth  of  July,  1 788,  which  is  described  at  length  in  the 
''Pennsylvania  Gazette,"  July  9,  1788.  A  great  ship  on  wheels 
represented  the  Constitution,  and  in  it  was  seated  Chief  Justice 
McKean  in  his  robes  of  office,  and   the  judges  of  the  Supreme 


Figure  350. 
A  Judge  in  Scarlet  Robe,  End  of  the  Eighteenth  Century  (from  an  Old  Print). 

Court  in  their  robes  of  office.  Had  there  been  any  decided  change 
prescribed  for  the  robes  of  the  judges  and  lawyers  in  the  framing 
of  the  Constitution  it  would  have  surely  been  emphasized  in  the 
procession,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  among  the  printed  articles  in 
Congress  on  the  subject  of  the  Judiciary,  not  a  word  regarding  robes 
or  etiquette  is  given.  The  portrait  of  Chief  Justice  McKean,  which 
hangs  in  the  Law  School  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  depicts 


340  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

him  in  a  scarlet  gown.  It  is  a  recent  portrait,  but  was  painted  under 
the  direction  of  the  family.  The  red  robe  of  the  English  Court  was 
evidently  worn  throughout  the  eighteenth  century  in  America. 

John  Jay,  the  first  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  was  appointed  to  that  of&ce  by  Washington  in 
1789.  The  full-length  portrait  of  him  in  his  robe  is  reproduced  in 
Figure  325.  According  to  a  contemporary  authority,  this  robe  is  the 
black  silk  gown  with  facings  of  salmon-coloured  satin  with  a  white 
edge,  given  with  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  by  Columbia  Uni- 
versity and  worn  by  the  Chief  Justice  during  the  term  of  his  high 
ofi&ce  under  the  Government.* 


UNIFORMS  IN  AMERICA 

1775-1800 

The  history  of  the  American  Navy,  according  to  good  authority, 
dates  from  the  twenty-second  of  December,  1775,  and  the  history 
of  its  uniform  from  the  fifth  of  September,  1776,  when  the  Marine 
Committee  of  the  Continental  Congress  made  the  following  regula- 
tions regarding  it: 

Captains^-A  blue  coat  with  red  lapels,  slashed  cuffs,  a  stand-up 
collar,  flat  yellow  buttons,  blue  breeches  and  a  red  waistcoat  with 
yellow  lace. 

Lieutenants — A  blue  coat  with  red  lapels  and  round  cuffs  faced, 
a  stand-up  collar,  yellow  buttons,  blue  breeches,  and  a  plain  red 
waistcoat. 

Masters — A  blue  coat  with  lapels,  round  cuffs,  blue  breeches,  and 
a  red  waistcoat. 

Midshipmen — A  blue  coat  with  lapels,  round  cuffs  faced  with 
red,  a  stand-up  collar,  red  at  the  buttons  and  buttonholes,  blue 
breeches,  and  a  red  waistcoat. 

*  Life  and  Works  of  Gilbert  Stuart. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


341 


Marines — A  green  coat  faced  with  white,  round  cuffs,  slashed 
sleeves  and  pockets,  with  buttons  round  the  cuffs,  a  silver  epaulet 
on  the  right  shoulder,  skirts  turned  back,  buttons  to  suit  the  facings, 
white  waistcoat,  breeches  edged  with  green,  black  gaiters  and  garters. 

The  men  were  to  have  green 
shirts  if  they  could  be  procured. 

Common  sailors  and  seamen 
wore  loose  breeches  and  short 
square-cut  jackets,  according  to 
Watson  and  other  authorities. 
(Figure  351.) 

The  British  troops  estab- 
lished in  America  had  been  kept 
continually  on  the  alert  at  dif- 
ferent points  to  protect  the  in- 
habitants from  the  dreaded  on- 
slaught of  the  Indians,  but  a 
time  of  comparative  quiet  gave 
the  commanders  an  opportunity 
to  observe  a  certain  hostile  atti- 
tude the  citizens  had  evinced 
toward  the  soldiery.  This  new 
phase  of  feeling  in  the  Colonies 
was  duly  mentioned  in  official 
despatches,  but  was  so  little 
heeded  that  England  felt  a  slight 
shock  of  alarm  at  the  news  of  the 
bold  measures  of  the  colonists  in 

Boston  in  1768,  and  the  spreading  discontent  which  was  becoming 
manifest  in  all  directions.  General  Gage  was  ordered  in  June  to  send 
a  force  "sufficient  to  assist  the  magistrates  and  revenue  officers  in 
enforcing  the  law."  Under  Colonel  Dalrymple  the  14th  and  29th 
15 


Figure  351. 
Dress  of  an  Ordinary  Seaman,  1775. 


342  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

Foot*  and  one  company  of  artillery  with  five  guns  arrived  at  Boston  and 
demanded  quarters  in  the  town,  which  the  citizens  flatly  refused  to  grant, 
and  Gage,  feeling  the  throbbing  pulse  of  rebellion,  withdrew  the  com- 
mand and  found  quarters  for  the  troops  at  the  King's  expense.  Shortly 
after  this  the  64th  and  65th  regiments  were  sent  as  reinforcements, 
but  they  were  not  able  to  awe  the  ''mob  of  Boston,"  which  devoted 
every  spare  moment  to  drilling.  They  found  an  opportunity  to 
practise  the  skill  thus  acquired  under  their  leader,  Samuel  Adams, 
in  the  riots  of  1770,  which  resulted  in  the  withdrawal  of  both  British 
battalions  from  the  city.  The  tax  on  tea  and  its  consequences  on 
the  sixteenth  of  December,  1773,  proved  a  harbinger  of  the  coming 
trouble.  Gage  returned  from  a  visit  to  England,  where  his  chief 
object  had  been  to  explain  the  tension  of  affairs  in  America,  with 
more  troops  and  the  title  of  Governor  of  the  Province  of  Massachu- 
setts. Ten  thousand  men  were  then  ordered  to  America  instead  of 
the  twenty  thousand  asked  for  by  Gage. 

Meanwhile  the  Provincial  Congress  had  met  at  Cambridge  and 
passed  resolutions  for  the  collection  and  manufacture  of  arms, 
and  General  Gage,  hearing  that  a  quantity  of  powder  and  ammu- 
nition had  been  stored  at  Concord,  sent  the  flank  company  of  his 
garrison  to  seize  it.  This  was  the  nineteenth  of  April,  1775, 
forever  memorable  in  American  history. 

Paul  Revere's  gallant  ride  had  not  been  in  vain.  The  British  troops 
found  a  body  of  militia  drawn  up  on  the  village  green  at  Concord 
to  protect  the  stores,  and  after  a  fierce  skirmish  the  Redcoats  were 
obliged  to  retreat,  followed  for  about  fifteen  miles  by  the  Provincials, 
whose  numbers  were  augmented  at  every  point  on  the  road  by  "patriots 
in  homespun."  This  battle  of  Lexington  brings  us  to  the  organization 
of  the  Continental  army,  which  was  strongly  urged  by  the  Provincial 
Congress.      The  militia  troops  before   Boston  had   already   shown 

*  For  the  uniforms  of  these  British  regiments,  see  Her  Majesty's  Army,  by  Walter 
Richards,  with  coloured  plates. 


'/insTT  1 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  345 

good  metal  in  their  composition ;  many  of  them  had  fought  in  the  French 
and  Indian  War.  The  Continental  army  began  to  drill  and  manoeuvre 
with  redoubled  energy,  although  in  the  eyes  of  the  British  army  "their 
equipment  was  deficient  and  their  discipline  very  faulty  indeed." 

Contemporary  letters  written  from  Boston  before  the  Revolution 
give  a  vivid  picture  of  the  situation. 

"The  people  in  England  have  been  taught  to  believe  that  five 
or  six  thousand  regular  troops  would  be  sufficient  to  humble  us  into 
the  lowest  submission  to  any  parliamentary  act,  however  tyrannical. 
But  we  are  not  so  ignorant  in  military  affairs  and  unskilled  in  the 
use  of  arms  as  they  take  us  to  be.  A  spirit  for  martial  skill  has  strangely 
catched  from  one  to  another  throughout  at  least  the  New  England 
colonies.  A  number  of  companies  in  many  of  our  towns  are  already 
able  to  go  through  the  military  exercises  in  all  its  forms  with  more 
dexterity  and  a  better  grace  than  some  of  the  regiments  which  have 
been  sent  to  us,  and  all  our  men  from  twenty  to  sixty  years  of  age 
are  either  formed  or  forming  into  companies  and  regiments  with 
officers  of  their  own  choosing,  to  be  steadily  tutored  in  the  military 
art.  It  is  not  doubted  but  by  next  spring  one  hundred  thousand 
men  will  be  well  qualified  to  come  forth  for  the  defense  of  our  liberties 
and  rights  should  there  be  a  call  for  it.  We  have  besides  in  the  New 
England  Colonies  alone  a  number  of  men  who,  in  the  last  war,  were 
made  regulars  by  their  services  over  your  troops  now  in  Boston.  I 
cannot  help  observing  to  you  here  that  we  have  in  this  town  a  company 
of  boys  from  about  ten  to  fourteen  years  of  age  who  in  the  opinion 
of  the  best  judges  can  go  thro'  the  whole  military  exercises  with  more 
dexterity  than  a  great  part  of  the  regulars  have  been  able  to  do  since 
they  have  been  here."* 

An  interesting  description  of  the  dress  and  arms  of  the  famous 
Minute  Men  is  given  in  the  History  of  Woodbury. f 

*  Extract  from  a  letter  of  Charles  Chauncey  to  Richard  Price,  Boston,  January  lo,  1775. 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society  Proceedings,  Boston,  1903.- 

t  History  of  Ancient  Woodbury,  Connecticut,  by  William  Cothren. 


346  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


"As  the  militia  rallied  on  the  several  calls  and  detachments,  at  a 
minute's  or  an  hour's  warning,  in  whatever  clothes  they  happened 
to  have  on,  with  whatever  weapons  of  war  came  first  to  hand,  or 
had  descended  to  them  from  their  fathers,  they  often  presented  a 
very  grotesque  appearance.  They  wore  small-clothes,  coming  down 
and  fastening  just  below  the  knee,  and  long  stockings  with  cowhide 
shoes,  ornamented  by  large  buckles,  while  not  a  pair  of  boots  graced 
the  company.  The  coats  and  waistcoats  were  loose  and  of  huge 
dimensions,  with  colours  as  various  as  the  barks  of  the  oak,  sumach, 
and  other  trees  of  our  hills  and  swamps  could  make  them,  and  their 
shirts  were  all  made  of  flax,  and,  like  every  other  part  of  the  dress, 
were  homespun.  On  their  heads  were  worn  large  round-top  and 
broad-brimmed  hats.  Their  arms  were  as  various  as  their  costumes; 
here  and  there  an  old  soldier  carried  a  heavy  queen's  arm,  with  which 
he  had  done  service  at  the  conquest  of  Canada,  twenty  years  pre- 
vious, while  by  his  side  walked  a  stripling  boy  with  a  Spanish  fuzee, 
not  half  its  weight  or  calibre,  which  his  grandfather  may  have  taken 
at  Havana,  while  not  a  few  had  old  French  pieces,  that  dated  back 
to  the  reduction  of  Louisburg.  Instead  of  the  cartridge-box,  a  large 
powder-horn  was  slung  under  the  arm,  and  occasionally  a  bayonet 
might  be  seen  bristling  in  the  ranks.  Some  of  the  swords  of  the 
officers  had  been  made  by  our  province  blacksmiths,  perhaps  from 
some  farming  utensil;  they  looked  serviceable,  but  heavy  and  un- 
couth. Such  was  the  appearance  of  the  Continentals,  to  whom  a 
well-appointed  army  was  soon  to  lay  down  their  arms." 

It  is  more  than  likely  that  the  hardest  fighting  of  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  ^was  done  by  men  dressed  in  hunting  shirts  of  dressed 
leather,  with  leather  breeches  and  buckskin  shoes.  At  Bunker  Hill 
the  British  regiments  engaged  were  the  flank  companies  of  the  4th, 
loth,  i8th,  22nd,  23rd,  35th,  59th,  63rd,  and  65th,  the  entire  strength 
of  the  5th,  38th,  42nd,  47th,  and-52nd,  and  two  battalions  of  marines;* 

*  History  of  the  British  Army,  by  J.  W.  Fortescue. 


'tht'T 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


349 


these  men,  in  the  splendid  uniforms  of  the  British  regulars,  formed 
a  striking  contrast  to  the  oddly  dressed  Continentals.  General 
Washington,  who  had  been 
chosen  unanimously  for  the 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Con- 
tinental Army,  July  2,  1775,  took 
command  of  the  strangely  as- 
sorted company  before  Boston, 
and  later  of  the  three  thousand 
men  from  Pennsylvania,  Vir- 
ginia, and  Maryland. 

A  few  of  the  provincial  regi- 
ments were  equipped  with  uni- 
forms, notably  the  New  Jersey 
Infantry,  under  Colonel  Schuy- 
ler, which  went  by  the  name  of 
the  Jersey  Blues,  from  their  coats 
of  blue  cloth  faced  with  red ;  gray 
stockings  and  buckskin  breeches 
completed  the  costume.  The 
Virginia  Infantry,  of  which 
Washington  was  colonel,  adopted 
the  Whig  colours,  blue  and  buff; 
coats  of  dark  blue  faced  with  buff, 
with  waistcoats  and  breeches  of 
buff.  This  was  Washington's 
uniform  when  he  took  command 
of    the    army    at     Cambridge. 

(July,  I775-) 

From   the   ''History  of   the 
First  Troop  City  Cavalry,"  which  on  many  occasions  had  the  honour 
of  escorting  the  Commander-in-Chief,  the  following  account  is  taken: 


Figure  361. 
Uniform  of  the  Light-Horse  Troop  of  Phila- 
delphia. 


350  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

"Uniform  of  the  Light-Horse  of  the  City  of  Phila- 
delphia. * 

"A  dark  brown  short  coat,  faced  and  lined  with  white;  white 
vest  and  breeches;  high-topped  boots;  round  black  hat,  bound  with 
silver  cord;  a  buck's  tail;  housings  brown,  edged  with  white,  and 
the  letters  L.  H.  worked  on  them."  And  arms:  "A  carbine,  a  pair 
of  pistols  and  holsters,  with  flounces  of  brown  cloth  trimmed  with 
white;  a  horseman's  sword;  white  belts  for  the  sword  and  carbine." 

In  the  early  part  of  this  year  (1775),  Captain  Markoe  presented 
to  the  Troop  a  handsome  silken  standard.  It  is  of  great  historic 
interest  as  being  the  first  flag  which  bore  upon  it  the  thirteen  stripes, 
symbolizing  the  thirteen  colonies  then  asserting  their  rights  and 
ultimately  struggling  for  their  independence.  Its  first  recorded  duty 
brought  the  Troop  early  into  the  notice  of  General  Washington,  who 
passed  through  Philadelphia  June  23,  1775,  and  was  escorted  by 
the  Troop  as  far  as  New  York,  on  his  journey  to  the  camp  at  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts. 

In  order  that  reliable  descriptions  of  the  uniforms  worn  by  the 
soldiers  from  1775  to  1800  may  be  had,  extracts  from  contemporary 
official  papers,  reprinted  under  the  supervision  of  the  Quartermaster- 
General  of  the  United  States  (Washington,  1895),  are  quoted  verbatim. 

Resolved.    That  thirteen  thousand  coats  be  provided 

and  one  thereof  be  given  to  each  non-commissioned  Officer  and 
Soldier  of  the  Massachusetts  forces. 

Resolved.  That  each  coat  be  faced  with  the  same  kind  of  cloth  of 
which  it  is  made;  that  the  coats  be  made  in  the  common,  plain  way, 
without  lappels,  short  and  with  small  folds.  (Proceedings  of  Massa- 
chusetts Provincial  Congress,  July  5,  1775.) 

Resolved.    That   the  Committee  of  Supplies 

are  to  cause  all  the  coats  to  be  buttoned  with  pewter  buttons,  and  that 
the  coats  for  each  Regiment,  respectively,  have  buttons  of  the  same 

*  Afterwards  known  as  First  Troop  Philadelphia  City  Cavalry. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  353 

number  stamped  on  the  face  of  them. — (Amer.  Archives,  Vol.  II,  4th 
series,  p.  i486.) 

To  prevent  mistakes  the  General  Officers  and  their  Aids  de  Camp 
will  be  distinguished  in  the  following  manner:  The  Commander-in- 
Chief  by  a  light  blue  ribband,  worn  across  his  breast,  between  his 
coat  and  waistcoat;  the  Majors  and  Brigadiers  General  by  a  pink 
ribband  worn  in  like  manner;  the  Aids  de  Camp  by  a  green  ribband. 
(General  Orders,  Headquarters,  Cambridge,  July  14,  1775.) — {Amer. 
Archives,  Vol.  II,  4th  series,  p.  1662.) 

every  Major  of  Brigade  will  be  distin- 
guished   by    a    green    ribband 

(General  Orders,  Headquarters,  Cambridge,  July  20,  1775.) — (Amer. 
Archives,  Vol.  II,  4th  series,  p.  17 10.) 

As  the  Continental  Army  have  unfortunately  no  uniforms,  and 
consequently  many  inconveniences  must  arise  from  not  being  able 
always  to  distinguish  the  commissioned  Officers  from  the  non-com- 
missioned, and,  the  non-commissioned  from  the  privates,  it  is  desired 
that  some  badges  of  distinction  may  be  immediately  provided;  for 
instance,  that  the  field  Officers  may  have  red  or  pink  colored  cock- 
ades in  their  hats;  the  Captains  yellow  or  buff,  and  the  subalterns 
green. 

The  sergeants  may  be  distinguished  by  an  epaulette  or  stripe 
of  red  cloth  sewed  upon  their  right  shoulders;  the  Corporals  by 
one  of  green.  (Gen.  Orders,  Headquarters,  Cambridge,  23  July, 
ij'j$.)—(Amer.  Archives,  Vol.  II,  4th  series,  1775,  p.  1738.) 

It  being  thought  proper  to  distinguish  the  Majors  from  the 
Brigadiers  General  by  some  particular  mark,  for  the  future  the 
Majors  General  will  wear  a  broad  purple  ribband.  (Gen.  Orders, 
Headquarters,  Cambridge,  24  July,  1775.)— (^wer.  Archives,  Vol.  II, 
4th  series,  1775,  p.  1739.) 

The  General  also  recommends  it  to  the  Colonels  to  provide  Indian 
boots  or  leggings  for  their  men,   instead   of   stockings, 


354  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


especially  as  the  General  has  hopes  of  prevailing  with  the  Continental 

Congress  to  give  each  man  a  hunting  shirt 

(General  Orders,  Headquarters,  Cambridge,  August  7, 1775.)— (^wer. 
Archives,  Vol.  Ill,  4th  series,  p.  248.) 

The  enlisted  men  of  the  ist  Virginia  Regiment  of  Infantry  were, 
however,  in  the  year  1775,  uniformed  at  their  own  expense  in  hunting 
shirts,  leggings,  and  white  bindings  on  their  hats. — {Amer.  Archives,- 
Vol.  IV,  4th  series,  p.  92.) 

Resolved.    That  when  the  Green  Mountain  Boys  are  raised,  each 

of    them    shall  be  furnished   with  a  coat,  and be 

requested  to  purchase  green  cloth   for  that  purpose,  and  red  cloth 

sufficient   to    face  these   coats (New  York 

Prov.  Congress,  Aug.  15,  1775.) — (Amer.  Archives,  Vol.  Ill,  4th 
series,  p  530.) 

Resolved.     That  Clothing  be  provided  for  the  new  Army  by  the 

Continent  and  paid  for  by  stoppages  out  of  the  soldiers  wages 

That  as  much  as  possible  of  the  cloth  for  this  purpose  be  dyed  brown 
and  the  distinctions  of  the  Regiments  made  in  the  facings. — (Res.  Con- 
gress, Nov.  4,  1775.) — (Amer.  Archives,  Vol.  Ill,  4th  series,  p.  1907.) 

The  Colonels  upon  the  new  establishment  to  settle  as  soon  as 
possible  with  the  Quartermaster  General  the  uniform  of  their  respec- 
tive Regiments  that  the  buttons  may  be  properly  numbered  and  the 
work  finished  without  delay.  (General  Orders,  Headquarters,  Cam- 
bridge, Nov.  13,  1775.) — (Amer.  Archives,  Vol.  Ill,  4th  series.) 

It  is  recommended  to  those  Corps  which  are  not  already  supplied 
with  uniforms,  to  provide  hunting  shirts  for  their  men.  (General 
Orders,  Headquarters,  New  York,  May  6,  1776.) — {Amer.  Archives, 
Vol.  VI,  4th  series,  p.  426.) 

The  General  being  sensible  of  the  difficulty  and  expense  of  pro- 
viding Clothes,  of  almost  any  kind,  for  the  Troops,  feels  an  unwilling- 
ness to  recommend,  much  more  to  order,  any  kind  of  Uniform;  but 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  357 


as  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  men  should  have  Clothes,  and  appear 
decent  and  tight,  he  earnestly  encourages  the  use  of  Hunting  Shirts, 
with  long  breeches  made  of  the  same  cloth,  gaiter  fashion  about  the 
legs,  to  all  those  yet  unprovided.  (General  Orders,  Headquarters, 
New  York,  July  24, 1776.)— (^wer.  Archives,  Vol.  I,  5th  series,  p.  677.) 

Resolved  that,  for  the  further  encouragement  of  the  non-commis- 
sioned Officers  and  soldiers  who  shall  engage  in  service  during  the 
war.  A  suit  of  Clothes  be  annually  given  to  each  of  said  officers  and 
soldiers;  to  consist,  for  the  present  year,  of  two  linen  hunting  shirts,  two 
pairs  of  overalls,  a  leathern  or  woolen  waistcoat  with  sleeves,  one  pair 
of  breeches,  a  hat  or  leather  cap,  two  shirts,  two  pair  of  hose  and  two 
pair  of  shoes.  (Continental  Congress,  Oct.  8, 1776.) — {Amer.  Archives, 
Vol.  II,  5th  series,  p.  1392.) 

the  Congress  of  the  United  States  have 

further  resolved  to  give annually  to  each  man  one 

complete  suit  of  clothing,  which,  for  the  present  year,  is  to  consist  of 
two  linen  hunting  shirts,  two  pair  of  stockings,  two  pair  of  shoes,  two 
pair  of  overalls,  a  leathern  or  woolen  jacket  with  sleeves,  one  pair  of 
breeches,  and  one  Leathern  cap  or  hat.  (General  Orders,  Headquarters, 
October  24,  1776.) — {Amer.  Archives,  Vol.  Ill,  5th  series,  p.  331.) 

In  1 777,  and  subsequently,  the  uniform  for  the  four  regular  regiments 
constituting  the  Corps  of  Artillery  was  a  blue  or  black  coat  reaching  to 
the  knee,  and  full  trimmed,  lappels  fastened  back,  with  ten  open-worked 
button-holes  in  yellow  silk  on  the  breast  of  each  lappel,  and  ten  large 
regimental  yellow  buttons,  at  equal  distances,  on  each  side;  three 
large  yellow  regimental  buttons  on  each  cuff,  and  a  like  number 
on  each  pocket-flap.  The  skirts  to  hook  back,  showing  the  red 
lining,  bottom  of  coat  cut  square,  red  lappels,  cuff  linings,  and 
standing  capes;  single-breasted  white  waistcoat,  with  twelve  small 
yellow  regimental  buttons,  white  breeches,  black  half  gaiters,  white 
stock,  ruffied  shirt,  and  at  the  wrists,  and  black  cocked  hat  bound 
with  yellow;  red  plume  and  black  cockade,  gilt-handled  small  sword 
and  gilt  epaulettes. — {Mag.  Amer.  Hist.,  Vol.  I,  p.  473.) 


358  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

Congress,  by  resolution  of  March  23,  1779,  "authorized  and  di- 
rected the  Commander-in-Chief,  according  to  circumstances  of  sup- 
pHes  of  Clothing,  to  fix  and  prescribe  the  uniform  as  well  with  regard 
to  color  and  facings  as  the  cut  or  fashion  of  the  Clothes  to  be  worn 
by  the  troops  of  the  respective  States  and  regiments,  woolen  overalls 
for  winter  and  linen  for  summer  to  be  substituted  for  the  breeches." 

In  accordance  with  the  above  Resolution,  the  following  General 
Order,  dated  Headquarters,  Moore's  House,  2  Oct.,  1779,  was  pro- 
mulgated by  General  Washington: 

"The  following  are  the  uniforms  that  have  been  determined  for 
the  troops  of  these  States  respectively,  so  soon  as  the  state  of  the 
public  supplies  will  permit  of  their  being  furnished  accordingly;  and, 
in  the  meantime,  it  is  recommended  to  the  Officers  to  endeavor  to 
accommodate  their  uniforms  to  the  standard,  that  when  the  men 
come  to  be  supplied,  there  may  be  a  proper  uniformity. 

New    Hampshire,    Massachusetts,    Rhode    Island    and    Con- 
necticut. 

Blue,  faced  with  white;  buttons  and  linings  white. 

New  York  and  New  Jersey. 
Blue,  faced  with  buff;  white  linings  and  buttons. 

Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Maryland  and  Virglnia. 
Blue,  faced  with  red ;  buttons  and  linings  white. 

North  Carolina,  South  Carolina  and  Georgia. 
Blue,  faced  with  blue;   buttonholes  edged  with  narrow  white  lace 
or  tape;  buttons  and  linings  white. 

Artillery  and  Artillery  Artificers. 
Blue,  faced  with  scarlet;    scarlet  linings;   yellow  buttons,  yellow- 
bound  hats.     Coats  edged  with  narrow  lace  or  tape,  and  buttonholes 
bound  with  same. 

Light  Dragoons. 
The  whole  blue,  faced  with  white;  white  buttons  and  linings." 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  361 

Resolved.  That  the  following  articles  be  delivered  as  a  suit  of 
Clothes  for  the  current  and  every  succeeding  year  of  their  service 
to  the  Officers  of  the  line  and  staff,  entitled  by  any  Resolution  of 
Congress  to  receive  the  same,  viz:  one  hat,  one  watch  coat,  one  body 
coat,  four  vests,  one  for  winter  and  three  for  summer,  four  pairs  of 
breeches,  two  for  winter  and  two  for  summer,  four  shirts,  six  pair 
of  stockings,  three  pair  thereof  worsted  and  three  of  thread,  four 
pair  of  Shoes. — {Journals  of  Congress,  Nov.  25,  1779.) 

As  it  is  at  all  times  of  great  importance  both  for  the  sake  of  appear- 
ance and  for  the  regularities  of  service  that  the  different  military 
ranks  should  be  distinguished  from  each  other,  and  more  especially 
at  present: — 

The  Commander-in-Chief  has  thought  proper  to  establish  the 
following  distinctions  and  strongly  recommends  it  to  all  the  Officers 
to  endeavor  to  conform  to  them  as  speedily  as  possible. 

The  Major  Generals  to  wear  a  blue  coat  with  buff  facings,  yellow 
buttons,  white  or  buff  underclothes,  two  epaulettes,  with  two  stars 
upon  each  and  a  black-and-white  feather  in  the  hat. 

The  Brigadier  Generals,  the  same  uniform  as  the  Major  Generals 
with  the  difference  of  one  star  instead  of  two  and  a  white  feather. 

The  Colonels,  Lieutenant  Colonels,  and  Majors,  the  uniform  of 
their  regiments,  and  two  epaulettes. . 

The  Captains,  the  uniforms  of  their  regiments  and  an  epaulette 
on  the  right  shoulder. 

The  subalterns,  the  uniform  of  their  regiment  and  an  epaulette 
on  the  left  shoulder. 

The  Aides  de  Camp,  the  uniforms  of  their  ranks  and  Corps,  or 
if  they  belong  to  no  Corps,  of  their  General  Officers. 

Those  of  the  Major  Generals  and  Brigadier  Generals  to  have  a 
green  feather  in  their  hat.  Those  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  a  white 
and  green. 

The  Inspectors,  as  well  Sub  as  Brigade,  the  uniform  of  their  ranks 
and  Corps,  with  a  blue  feather  in  the  hat.  , 

The  Corps  of  Engineers  and  that  of  Sappers  and  Miners,  a  blue 
coat  with  buff  facings,  red  lining,  buff  undercloaths,  and  the  epaulettes 
of  their  respective  ranks. 


362  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

Such  of  the  Staff  as  have  Military  rank,  to  wear  the  uniform  of 
their  ranks  and  of  the  Corps  to  which  they  belong  in  the  line.  Such 
as  have  no  military  rank  to  wear  plain  coats,  with  a  cockade  and 
sword. 

All  officers,  as  well  warrant  as  commissioned,  to  wear  a  cockade  and 
side  arms  either  a  sword  or  genteel  bayonet.  (Headquarters,  Short 
Hills,  Sunday,  June  i8,  1780.) 

As  it  is  much  wished  to  establish  uniformity  in  the  corps;  the 
officers  are  directed  not  to  make  any  changes  in  the  dress  of  them- 
selves or  their  men  'till  orders  are  given  for  a  general  rule. 

The  feathers  directed  to  be  worn  by  Major  Generals  are  to  have 
the  white  below,  the  black  above;  it  will  be  best  to  have  one  feather 
the  upper  part  black.  It  is  recommended  to  the  officers  to  have 
black  and  white  cockades,  a  black  ground  with  a  white  relief,  em- 
blematic of  the  expected  union  of  the  two  armies.  (Headquarters, 
Precaness,  July  19,  1780.) 

As  nothing  adds  more  to  the  beauty  and  appearance  of  a  Corps, 
than  exact  uniformity  of  dress,  the  General  recommends  it  thus  early 
to  the  "Field  Officers"  newly  arranged  to  fix  upon  a  fashion  for  the 
regimental  clothing  of  the  officers  of  their  respective  corps  (if  it  is 
not  already  done),  confining  themselves  to  the  ground,  facing,  linings 
and  buttons  already  assigned  to  the  States  to  which  they  belong. 

The  General  sees  with  concern  the  difficulties  which  the  Officers 
labor  under  in  procuring  Cloth.  It  is  not  therefore  his  wish  that 
those  who  are  already  furnished  should  run  themselves  to  the  expense 
of  new  uniforms,  if  their  old  are  not  exactly  conformable,  but  that 
they  should  in  future  comply  strictly  with  the  regimental  fashion 
and,  if  possible,  get  their  old  clothes  altered  to  it.  It  has  a  very  odd 
appearance  especially  to  Foreigners  to  see  the  same  corps  of  officers 
each  differing  from  the  other  in  fashion  of  the  facings,  sleeves  and 
pockets  of  their  coats. 

An  attention  to  these  minutiae  has  been  thought  proper  in  all 
services;  it  becomes  peculiarly  so  in  ours  at  this  time  as  we  shall 
more  than  probable  take  the  field  next  campaign  in  conjunction  with 


>f«?V»^)SpW55^(jJp«Sp:. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  365 


our  Allies,  composed  of  the  first  troops  in  Europe,  who  will  receive 

impressions  and  form  opinions  from  the  first  view 

Strict  attention  is  to  be  paid  to  the  order  of  the  i8th  of  June  last, 
distinguishing  the  rank  of  officers  by  their  badges.  (Headquarters, 
Totoway,  Nov.  15,  1780.) 

ORDERS  FOR  THE  MASSACHUSETTS  LINE. 

January  5th,  1781. 

The  Committee  of  Officers  appointed  to  fix  upon  the  fashion  of 
the  Massachusetts'  uniform,  have  reported  thereupon,  and  it  is  as 
follows : — 

The  color  of  the  coats,  waistcoat,  linings  and  buttons,  to  be  agree- 
able to  the  General  Orders  of  the  2nd  of  October,  1779. 

The  length  of  the  coat,  to  the  upper  part  of  the  knee-pan,  and 
to  be  cut  high  in  the  neck.  As  3  is  to  5,  so  is  the  skirt  to  the  waist 
of  the  coat;  or  divide  the  whole  length  of  the  coat  into  8  equal  parts, 
take  5  for  the  waist  and  3  for  the  skirts. 

The  lappel,  at  the  top  of  the  breast,  to  be  3  inches  wide,  and  the 
bottom  2xV  inches;  the  lappel  to  be  as  low  as  the  waist,  and  its  wing 
to  button  within  an  inch  of  the  shoulder  seam  with  a  small  button 
on  the  cape.  The  epaulette  to  be  worn  directly  on  the  top  of  the 
shoulder  joint  on  the  same  button  with  the  wing  of  the  lappel.  A 
round  and  close  cuff,  three  inches  wide,  with  four  close  worked  but- 
tonholes. The  cape  to  be  made  with  a  peak  behind,  and  its  width 
in  proportion  to  the  lappels.  The  pocket  flaps  to  be  scollopped,  four 
buttonholes,  the  two  inner  close  worked,  the  two  outer  open  worked, 
and  to  be  set  on  in  a  curved  line  from  the  bottom  of  the  lappel  to 
the  button  on  the  hip.  The  coat  to  be  cut  full  behind,  with  a  fold 
on  each  back  skirt,  and  two  close  worked  buttonholes  on  each. 

Ten  open  worked  buttonholes  on  the  breast  of  each  lappel,  with 
ten  large  buttons,  at  equal  distance ;  four  large  buttons  on  each  cuff, 
four  on  each  pocket  flap,  and  four  on  each  fold.  Those  on  the  cuffs 
and  pocket  flaps  to  be  placed  agreeable  to  the  buttonholes;  and  those 
on  the  folds,  one  on  the  hip,  one  at  the  bottom,  and  two  in  the  centre, 
at  an  equal  distance  with  those  on  the  lappel.  The  coat  is  to  button 
or  hook  as  low  at  the  fourth  buttonhole  on  the  breast,  and  is  to  be 


366  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

flaunt  at  the  bottom  with  a  genteel  and  military  air.  Four  hooks 
and  eyes  on  the  breast  as  low  as  the  coat  is  allowed  to  button.  The 
skirts  to  hook  up  with  a  blue  heart  at  each  corner,  with  such  device 
as  the  Field  Officers  of  each  Regiment  shall  direct.  The  bottoms 
of  the  coat  to  be  cut  square.  The  waistcoat  to  be  single-breasted, 
with  twelve  buttons  and  holes  on  the  breast,  with  pocket  flaps,  four 
close  worked  buttonholes  and  four  buttons,  which  shall  appear  below 
the  flaps.  The  breeches  are  to  be  made  with  a  half  fall ;  four  buttons 
on  each  knee.  The  small  buttons  on  the  waistcoat  to  be  of  the  same 
kind  with  the  large  ones  on  the  coat.  The  number  of  the  Regiment 
is  to  be  in  the  centre  of  the  button,  with  such  device  at  the  Field 
Officers  shall  direct.  The  epaulettes  to  be  worn  agreeable  to  his 
Excellency  the  Commander-in-Chief's  orders  of  June  i8,  1780. 

A  fashionable  military  cock'd  hat,  with  a  silver  button  loop,  and 
a  small  button  with  the  number  of  the  Regiment.  To  wear  a  black 
stock  when  on  duty  and  on  the  parade. 

No  edging,  vellum  lace,  or  indeed  any  other  ornaments  which  are 
not  mentioned,  to  be  added  to  the  uniform.  No  officer  is  to  be  per- 
mitted, at  any  time,  to  wear  any  other  uniform  than  that  of  his  Regi- 
ment.— {Review  Orders,  by  H.  Whiting,  p.  164.) 


The  clothier  is,  if  practicable,  to  obtain  worsted  shoulder  knots, 
for  the  non-commissioned  officers;  the  sergeants  are  to  be  distin- 
guished by  one  on  each  shoulder;  and  the  corporals  by  one  on  the 
right  shoulder;  and  in  the  meantime  it  is  proposed  that  a  piece  of 
white  cloth  should  be  substituted  by  way  of  distinction.  (General 
Orders,  Headquarters,  Newburgh,  May  14,  1782.) 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  369 


BRIGADE  ORDERS,  WEST  POINT. 

June  17, 1782. 

The  Honorable  Brigadier-General  Paterson,  having  expressed 
his  wish  that  some  honorary  mark  of  distinction  should  be  worn 
by  each  Non-commissioned  Officer  or  Private  in  his  Brigade, 
who  has  served  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States  a  certain 
length  of  time;  and  has  also  made  a  present  of  materials  for 
that  purpose: — 

The  Commandant  thinks  proper  to  direct,  that  each  Non-Com- 
missioned  Officer  and  Private,  who  has  served  four  years  in  any 
Continental  Regiment,  shall  be  entitled  to  wear  one  stripe  of  white 
tape,  on  the  left  sleeve  of  his  regimental  coat,  which  shall  extend 
from  seam  to  seam,  on  the  upper  part  of  the  sleeve,  three  inches 
from  and  parallel  with  the  shoulder  seam,  so  that  the  tape  may  form 
a  herring-bone  figure. 

That  none  presume  to  wear  the  badge  of  distinction,  but  by  the 
immediate  permission  of  the  Colonel  or  Commandant  of  the  Regiment, 
who,  on  its  being  made  to  appear  to  his  full  satisfaction,  that  the 
man  who  applies  for  the  badge  has  served  four  years,  as  above,  will 
please  to  order  this  honor  publicly  conferred  on  him.  The  Com- 
mandant further  directs,  that  when  any  Non- Commissioned  Officer 
or  Soldier  shall  complete  eight  years  service,  he  shall  have  the  addition 
of  another  stripe  set  on  one  inch  below  the  first. 

As  emulation  is  essential  to  promote  discipline,  the  Commandant 
wishes,  by  all  laudable  measure,  to  kindle  the  flame  in  every  breast; 
and  considers  that  punishment,  as  well  as  reward,  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary in  all  government;  to  promote  which  design,  he  directs  that 
these  marks  of  distinction,  in  the  first  instance,  be  for  all  who  have 
actually  served  as  above,  without  discrimination  of  character;  but, 
that  after  the  publication  of  this  order,  none  who  shall  commit  a  crime 
for  which  they  are  punishable  by  a  Court  Martial,  shall  be  entitled 
to  this  honorary  badge  for  four  years  from  the  time  they  were  found 
punishable;  and  should  any  one  who  is  honored  with  the  badge  be 
so  lost  to  a  sense  of  honor,  which  every  soldier  ought  to  possess,  as 
to  fall  under  the  sentence  of  a  Court  Martial,  he  is  to  be  divested 
of  this  badge  of  honor  at  the  head  of  the  Regiment,  and  excluded 


370  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

from  wearing  it  until  he  shall  retrieve  his  character,  by  four  years' 
unblemished  service.     {Review  Orders,  by  Henry  Whiting,  p.  220.) 


Honorary  Badges  of  distinction  are  to  be  conferred  on  the  veteran 
non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Army,  who  have  served 
more  than  three  years  with  bravery,  fidelity  and  good  conduct,  for 
this  purpose  a  narrow  piece  of  white  cloth,  of  an  angular  form  is  to 
be  fixed  to  the  left  arm  on  the  uniform  coats.  Non-commissioned 
officers  and  soldiers  who  have  served  with  equal  reputation  more 
than  six  years,  are  to  be  distinguished  by  two  pieces  of  cloth,  set  on 

parallel  to  each  other  in  a  similar  form whenever 

any  singularly  meritorious  action  is  performed,  the  author  of  it  shall 
be  permitted  to  wear  on  his  facings,  over  the  left  breast,  the  figure 
of  a  heart  in  purple  cloth  or  silk,  edged  with  narrow  lace  or  binding. 
(Headquarters,  Newburgh,  Aug.  7,  1782.) 

In  order  to  prevent  misapplication  of  the  honorary  badges  of  dis- 
tinction to  be  conferred  on  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers 
in  consequence  of  long  and  faithful  service,  through  any  mistake  or 
misapprehension  of  the  orders  of  the  7th  inst.,  the  General  thinks 
proper  to  inform  the  Army  that  they  are  only  attainable  by  an  unin- 
terrupted series  of  faithful  and  honorable  services. 

The  badges  which  non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers  are 
permitted  to  wear  on  the  left  arm  as  a  mark  of  long  and  faithful 
service,  are  to  be  of  the  same  color  with  the  facings  of  the  corps  they 
belong  to  and  not  white  in  every  instance  as  directed  in  the  orders 
of  the  7th  instant.  (General  Orders,  Headquarters,  Newburgh, 
Aug.  II,  1782.) 

The  Honorable  Secretary  of  War  having  been  pleased  to  direct 
that  the  uniforms  of  the  American  Cavalry  and  Infantry  shall  in  future 
be  blue  ground  with  red  facings  and  white  linings  and  buttons:  The 
General  gives  this  early  notice  that  provision  may  be  made  accordingly 
before  the  Army  shall  receive  their  clothing  for  the  present  year. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  371 

The  Corps  of  the  Artillery  is  to  retain  its  present  uniform,  and  the 
Sappers  and  Miners  will  have  the  same.  (Headquarters,  Newburgh, 
Dec.  6,  1782.) 

The  non  arrival  of  the  clothing  imported  from  Europe  renders 
the  greatest  economy  in  that  article  doubly  necessary.  The  Com- 
mander-in-Chief therefore  recommends  that  the  business  of  turning 
and  repairing  the  coats  of  last  year  should  now  be  considered  as  a 
primary  object,  in  doing  which  a  certain  model  as  to  the  fashion 
and  length,  (for  the  coats  ought  to  be  made  something  shorter  than 
at  present)  will  be  established  by  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
corps,  from  which  there  must  be  no  deviation 

It  is  expected  scarlet  cloth  for  cuffs,  capes  and  perhaps  half  facings 
will  be  furnished.     (Headquarters,  Newburgh,  Feb.  24,  1783.) 

Notwithstanding  the  proposed  alteration  in  the  uniforms  of  the 
Infantry  and  Cavalry  it  appears  necessary  from  inevitable  circum- 
stances that  all  the  Light  Infantry  companies  should  be  cloathed  in 
blue  coats  faced  with  white  until  further  orders.  (General  Orders, 
Headquarters,  Newburgh,  March  3,  1783.) 

The  regiments  which  have  not  turned  and  repaired  their  coats 
are  to  draw  lots  for  the  scarlet  cloth  which  arrived  yesterday.  (General 
Orders,  Newburgh,  April  14,  1783.) 

When  the  Revolutionary  War  ended,   one  regular  regiment  of 

Infantry and  two  companies  of  the  corps  of  artillery 

were  retained  in  service.  (General  Orders,  Headquarters,  West 
Point,  23  Dec,  1783.)  The  Uniform  of  the  infantry  regiment  was 
dark  blue,  with  white  facings,  white  linings,  black  cocked  hats,  white 
hat  bindings,  white  worsted  shoulder  knots,  white  buttons,  silver 
epaulettes  for  Officers,  white  cross  belts,  black  stocks,  white  under 
dress,  black  gaiters,  and  black  plume.  The  artillery  uniform  re- 
mained as  heretofore;  dark  blue  faced  with  scarlet,  scarlet  linings, 
yellow  buttons,  yellow  binding  for  black  felt  cocked  hat,  and  yellow 
edging  of  buttonholes;  white  under  dress,  gold  epaulettes  for  Officers; 
and  yellow  worsted  shoulder  knots  for  non-commissioned  officers  and 

16 


372  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

buff  belts,  white  cravats  and  black  plume,  with  red  top. — (Mag.  Amer. 
Hist.,  Vol.  I,  p.  482.) 

The  coats  of  the  musicians  remained  red  with  blue  facings,  blue 
waistcoats  and  breeches,  silk  epaulettes  for  Chief  Musician.  (General 
Orders,  War  Dept.,  N.  Y.,  30  Jan.,  1787.) — {Mag.  Amer.  Hist.,  Vol. 
I,  p.  482.) 

The  Infantry  Officers  were  now  required  to  wear  half  boots,  white 
pantaloons  and  white  vests,  double  breasted.  (General  Orders, 
Headquarters,  Loftus  Heights,  19  January,  1791.) 

During  the  period  of  the  confederation  the  troops  retained  substan- 
tially the  revolutionary  uniforms.  The  cavalry  had  brass  helmets 
with  white  horsehair.  (Secty.  War  to  Q.  M.  Genl.  Saml.  Hodgden, 
4  Aug.,  1792.) — {Mag.  Amer.  Hist.,  Vol.  I,  p.  483.) 

Their  swords  were  "long  horseman's  sword,  steel  mounted." 
Officers  of  Artillery  and  Infantry  had  swords  of  sabre  form  respec- 
tively yellow  mounted  and  steel  mounted,  two  feet  six  inches  in  length 
for  each  company  officer,  and  three  feet  in  length  for  each  field 
officer. — {Mag.  Amer.  Hist.,  Vol.  I,  p.  483.) 

The  officers  being  arranged  to  the  four  sub-legions  it  now  becomes 
expedient  to  give  those  Legions  distinctive  marks,  which  are  to  be 
as  follows,  viz: 

The  first  Sub-legion,  white  binding  upon  their  caps  with  white 
plumes  and  black  hair. 

The  second  Sub-legion,  red  binding  to  their  caps,  red  plumes 
with  white  hair. 

The  third  Sub-legion,  yellow  binding  to  their  caps,  yellow  plumes 
and  black  hair. 

The  fourth  Sub-legion,  green  binding  to  their  caps,  green  plumes 
and  white  hair.  (General  Orders,  Headquarters,  Pittsburgh,  11  Sept., 
1792.) 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  373 

The  Officers  will  wear  plain  cocked  hats  with  no  other  distinctive 
marks,  but  the  plumes  of  their  respective  Sub-legions,  except  in  actual 
service  or  action,  when  they  will  wear  the  same  caps  with  the  non- 
commissioned officers  and  privates  of  their  respective  Sub-legions. 
(Gen.  Orders,  Headquarters,  Pittsburgh,  Sept.  12,  1792.) 


The  following  Select  Corps  shall  be  immediately  drafted  from  the 
Legion the  respective  pay-masters  will  deliver  to  the  Cap- 
tains or  officers  commanding  companies Two  pairs  linen 

overalls,  two  pairs  of  shoes  and  two  shirts  for  each  non-commissioned 

officer    and    private (Gen.    Orders,    Headquarters, 

Greenville,  June,  30,  1794.) 

Paymasters will  also  furnish  the  commanding  offi- 
cers of  each  troop  of  Dragoons  with  two  shirts  and  two  pairs  of  linen 
overalls  per  man 

The  garrison  duty  men  will  parade  for  Review  tomorrow 

fresh  shaved  and  well  powdered All  such  as  have  five  months 

and  upwards  to  serve  will  be  furnished  with  two  pair  of  linen  over- 
alls, two  shirts  and  two  pairs  of  shoes  per  man.  Those  whose  term 
of  service  will  expire  on  or  before  the  ist  of  December  next  with 

one  pair  of  shoes,  one  pair  of  overalls,  and  one  shirt  per  man 

(Gen.  Orders,  Headquarters,  Greenville,  July  i,  1794-) 

The  Deputy  Quartermaster  will  issue  all  the  bearskins  to  the 
Sub-legionary  Quartermasters  for  the  use  of  the  Battalion  Com- 
panies.    (Gen.  Orders,  Headquarters,  Greenville,  July  9,  1794-) 

In  1794  the  artillery  received  helmets,  with  red  plumes.  (Secty. 
War  to  Quartermaster  benl.  Saml.  Hodgden,  14  July,  1794.)— (if  fl^. 
Amer.  Hist.,  Vol.  I,  p.  484.) 

The  commanding  officers  of  the  respective  Sub-legions,  will 
make  out  a  particular  return  to  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  number 


374  HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 

of  Non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers entitled  to  sum- 
mer clothing,  and  who  have  not  already  been  furnished that 

the  whole  of  the  troops  may  appear  in  the  most  soldierly  condition. 

On  the  4th  July the  Commanding  Officers  of  Corps  will  cause 

the  uniforms  to  be  repaired,  and  the  Hats  and  Caps  properly  deco- 
rated. The  Acting  Quartermaster  will  procure  bearskins  for  cover- 
ing the  hats  and  caps.  (General  Orders,  Headquarters,  Greenville, 
June  26,  1795.) 


The  following  uniform  for  the  officers  of  Infantry  is  to  be  ob- 
served and  adopted  until  otherwise  regulated.  Coats  reaching  to 
the  knee  and  full  trimmed,  scarlet  lappels,  cuffs  and  standing  capes, 
white  buttons  and  trimmings,  lapels  and  cape  two  inches,  and  cuffs 
three  inches  wide.  Vests  and  breeches  white,  the  former  with  short 
flaps  and  three  buttons.  Black  stocks  or  cravats.  Cocked  Hats, 
and  full  boots  with  black  tops.  (General  Orders,  Headquarters, 
Greenville,  i6th  Feb.,  1796.) 


In  1799  the  white  plume  was  again  prescribed  for  the  Infan- 
try  (Gen.   Orders,  Headquarters,  Loftus  Heights,   2    Jan., 

1799.) — {Mag.  Amer.  Hist.,  p.  485.) 


The  uniform  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  to  be  a  blue  coat,  with 
yellow  buttons,  and  gold  epaulettes,  each  having  three  silver  stars, 
with  lining,  cape  and  cuffs  of  buff — in  winter  buff  vest  and  breeches; 
in  summer,  a  white  vest  and  breeches,  of  nankeen. 

The  coat  to  be  without  lappels,  and  embroidered  on  the  cape 
and  cuffs  and  pockets;  a  white  plume  in  the  hat,  to  be  a  further  dis- 
tinction. The  Adjutant  General,  the  aids  and  secretaries  of  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  to  be  likewise  distinguished  by  a  white  plume. 

The  uniform  of  the  other  General  Officers  to  be  a  blue  coat, 
with  yellow  buttons,  gold  epaulettes,  linings  and  facings  of  buff 
— the  underclothes  the  same  with  those  of  the  Commander  in  Chief. 

The  Major  generals  to  be  distinguished  by  two  silver  stars  in 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  375 


each  epaulet,  and  except  the  Inspector  General,  by  a  black  and  white 
plume,  the  black  below. 

The  Brigadier  to  be  distinguished  by  one  silver  star  on  each 
epaulet,  and  by  a  red  and  white  plume,  the  red  below. 

The  Aids,  of  all  general  officers,  who  are  taken  from  regiments, 
and  the  officers  of  inspection,  to  wear  the  uniform  of  the  regiments 
from  which  they  are  taken. 

The  aids  to  be  severally  distinguished  by  the  like  plumes,  which 
are  worn  by  the  general  officers,  to  whom  they  are  respectively  at- 
tached. 

The  uniforms  of  the  aids  of  the  commander  in  chief  when  not 
taken  from  regiments,  to  be  a  blue  coat  with  yellow  button,  and  gold 

epaulet,   buff  lining  and   facings the  same  under-clothes  with 

the  commander-in-chief. 

The  Inspector  General,  his  aids,  and  the  officers  of  inspection 
generally,  to  be  distinguished  by  a  blue  plume.  The  Quartermaster 
General  and  other  military  officers  in  his  department,  to  be  distin- 
guished by  a  green  plume. 

The  uniform  of  the  Infantry  and  artillery  to  be  a  blue  coat  with 
white  buttons  and  red  facings,  white  underclothes  and  cocked  hats 

the  length  of  the  officers  coats  to  reach  the  knees,  the  coats 

of  the  Infantry,  to  be  lined  with  white,  of  the  artillery  with  red.  The 
uniform  of  the  Cavalry,  to  be  a  green  coat,  with  white  buttons,  lin- 
ings and  facings;    white  vest  and  breeches  and  helmet  caps. 

Each  Colonel  to  be  distinguished  by  two  epaulettes;  each  Major, 
by  one  epaulet  on  the  right  shoulder,  and  a  strap  on  the  left.  All 
the  Field  Officers,  (except  as  above)  and  the  Regimental  Staff,  to  wear 
red  plumes the  Officers  of  companies  are  to  wear  red  plumes. 

Captains  to  be  distinguished  by  an  epaulet  on  the  right  shoulder; 
Lieutenants  by  one  on  the  left  shoulder;  cadets  by  a  strap  on  the 
right  shoulder.  The  epaulets  and  straps  of  the  regimental  officers 
to  be  of  silver. 

Sergeant  Majors  and  Quartermaster  Sergeants,  to  be  distinguished 
by  two  red  worsted  epaulets;  Sergeants  by  a  like  epaulet  on  the 
right  shoulder;  Corporals  by  a  like  epaulet  on  the  left  shoulder; 
the  flank  companies  to  be  distinguished  by  red  wings  on  the  shoulders. 


376 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


The  coats  of  the  Musicians  to  be  of  the  colors  of  the  facings  of 
the  corps  to  which  they  severally  belong.    The  Chief    Musician  to 

wear  two  white  worsted  epau- 
lets. All  the  Civil  staff  of  the 
Army,  to  wear  plain  blue  coats, 
with  yellow  buttons,  and  white 
underclothes.  No  gold  or  sil- 
ver lace,  except  in  the  epaulets 
and  straps  to  be  worn. 

The  commissioned  officers, 
and  cadets  to  wear  swords. 

All  persons  belonging  to 
the  Army  to  wear  a  black 
cockade  with  a  small  white 
Eagle  in  the  centre.  The 
cockade  of  non-commissioned 
officers,  musicians,  and  priv- 
ates to  be  of  leather,  with 
Eagles  of  tin.  The  regiments 
to  be  distinguished  from  each 
other,  numerically.  The  num- 
ber of  each  regiment  to  be  ex- 
pressed in  the  buttons.  (War 
Office,  Philadelphia,  9  Janu- 
ary, 1 799-) 


From  "The  Uniform  of  the 
Army  of  the  United  States" 
(Washington,  1895)  is  taken 
the  following  description  of 
the  uniform  of  an  officer  from 
1776  to  1799:  "A  blue  coat, 
with  red  facings  and  white 
bindings  and  white  buttons  and  button-holes,  white  waistcoat  and 
breeches,  white  gloves,  white  epaulettes.     Cocked  hat  bound  with 


Figure  385. 
Uniform  of  an  American  OfBcer,  1796. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA  377 

white,  black  pompon.  Powdered  hair  in  queue  tied  with  narrow 
black  silk  ribbon.  High  black  silk  stock,  ruffle  of  white  shirt  show- 
ing at  neck  and  wrists."     (Figure  385.) 

The  short-waisted  coats  and  high  collars  which  marked  the  end 
of  the  eighteenth  century  were  specially  noticeable  in  the  uniforms, 
both  military  and  naval,  and  form  a  very  striking  contrast  to  the  long- 
waisted  garments  which  characterized  the  close  of  the  seventeenth 
century. 


For  uniforms  of  the  French  officers  in  America  during  the  Revolutionary  period  see 
Our  French  Allies,  by  Edwin  M.  Stone.  For  uniforms  of  the  French  troops  at  this  period,  see 
Racinet,  Costumes  Historiques,  vol.  v. 

The  uniforms  of  a  Hessian  dragoon  and  of  the  Brunswick  Troopers  in  America  during 
the  Revolutionary  period  are  given  in  American  History  from  German  Archives,  by  Mr.  J.  G. 
Rosengarten. 


GLOSSARY 


Glossary 


Adonis  wigs.— Made  of  fine  white 
hair,  were  very  fashionable  and  very 
expensive  in  the  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

Aggrapes. — From  the  French  agrape, 
"  a  clasp  or  buckle  " ;  also  "  hooks  and 
eyes." 

Aiglet  or  Aiguillette. — A  metal  tag  or 

point  to  a  lace. 

Aigret  or  Egret.— A  tuft  of  feathers 
worn  on  the  head.  Fly  caps  with 
egrets  were  advertised  in  Boston, 
1755- 

Ala  mode. — A  plain  soft  glossy  silk 
often  mentioned  in  advertisements  in 
Colonial  newspapers  under  various 
speUings— ' '  elamond , "  "  ahmod , ' ' 
"olamod,"  "  alemod,"  "arlimod," 
"allamode,"  and  "  ellimod,"  are 
some  of  the  variations.  It  was  used 
throughout  the  eighteenth  century. 

AUapine. — A  strong  woolen  stufif  spelled 
often  "ellapine,"  "allpine,"  and 
"  alpine,"  and  very  popular  for 
men's  wear  during  the  first  half  of 
the  eighteenth  century. 

Amazeen. — (under  various  spellings) — 
A  strong  corded  silk  in  use  from  the 
time  of  Elizabeth  to  George  III. 
Often  advertised  in  Colonial  papers. 

Aprons. — First  worn  for  use  by  the 
careful  housewife  as  well  as  servants 
and  workingmen,  the  apron  became 
by  some  unaccountable  freak  of 
fashion  late  in  the  sixteenth  century 
an  article  of  full  dress.     In  1659  we 


read  that  green  aprons  went  out  of 
fashion.  Aprons  were  worn  in  1744 
so  long  that  they  nearly  touched  the 
ground. 

Artois. — A  long  cloak  made  with  sev- 
eral capes  and  used  by  men  and 
women  in  1790. 

Atlas. — A  soft  silk  with  satin  surface, 
made  in  the  East. 

Baise,  Baize,  or  Bayes. — A  coarse 
woolen  cloth  made  at  Colchester  in 
the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  Ad- 
vertised in  Colonial  papers  in  all 
colours,  and  used  for  the  clothing  of 
servants  and  negro  slaves. 


Balandrans  or  Balandranas. 

with  armholes. 


-Cloaks 


Band. — A  collar  of  lace  or  linen  stiffened 
with  starch  or  underpropped  with 
wire.  When  allowed  to  fall  upon 
the  shoulders,  it  was  termed  a  falling 
band. 

Band-box. — Originally  made  to  hold 
bands — whence  the  name. 

Bandekyn. — A  fabric  of  silk  and  gold 
thread. 

Bandileers. — Cases  of  wood  or  tin,  each 
containing  a  charge  of  powder, 
strung  round  the  neck  of  a  soldier. 

Band-strings. — Were  usually  of  ribbon 
or  of  cord  finished  with  tassels;  the 
latter  were  often  decorated  with 
pearls  and  other  jewels. 


381 


382 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


Banyan. — Originally  an  Anglo-Indian 
name  for  a  loose  coat.  A  morning 
gown  or  wrapper  worn  by  both  sexes, 
usually  of  bright-coloured  cloth  or 
damask.  Weread  that  these  garments 
were  much  worn  in  Virginia,  and  were 
sometimes  lined  with  a  rich  material, 
and  thus  could  be  worn  either  side 
out. 

Barlicoms. — A  dress  fabric  used  in 
the  Colonies.  "  Check'd  barhcorns  " 
were  advertised  in  1755. 

Barragon  or  Barracan. — A  corded 
stuff  suitable  for  summer  wear. 
Made  originally  in  the  Levant,  of 
camel's-hair. 

Barratine. — A  stuff,  probably  of  silk, 
used  for  petticoats,  stomachers,  and 
"forehead  clothes"  as  early  as  1697. 

Barrow-coat. — A  form  of  swaddling 
cloth  wrapped  about  an  infant's 
body  and  turned  up  and  fastened 
at  the  bottom  to  keep  the  feet  warm. 

Barry  or  Barrie. — An  under-skirt  or 
petticoat. 

Barvell. — A  coarse  leathern  apron  used 
by  workingmen. 

Batts. — Heavy  low  shoes  laced  in  front. 
Sent  to  the  New  England  Colonists 
in  1636  and  after. 

Beard-boxes. — Were  made  of  paste- 
board and  worn  at  night  over  a 
beard  to  keep  it  in  shape. 

Bearer. — A  roll  of  padding  placed  like 
a  bustle  at  either  hip  to  raise  the 
skirt. 

Bearing  cloth. — Old  name  for  a  Chris- 
tening blanket. 

Bell-hoops. — Stiffened  petticoats  in  the 
shape  of  a  bell  were  fashionable  in 
1731- 

Biggin. — Probably  a  corruption  of  be- 
guine,  "a  nun,"  and  sometimes 
spelled  "begin."     It  was  a  close  cap 


worn  always  by  young  children  and 
sometimes  by  grown  people  before 
1700. 

Binder. — A  band  of  flannel  worn  by 
babies  under  the  shirt,  sufficiently 
tight  to  give  some  support  to  the 
back. 

Birdet. — A  silk  stuff  made  in  China 
or  India.  "Strip'd  and  plain  bir- 
det" was  advertised  in  New  Eng- 
land in  1737. 

Bishop. — A  sort  of  bustle  stuffed  with 
horsehair. 

Blodms.— (Old  English)— Sky-blue. 

Bob-wig. — A  short  close  wig  worn  by 
men  and  boys  of  all  classes  on  or- 
dinary occasions  from  about  1725 
to  1780. 

Bodice  or  a  paire  of  Boddies. — A  sort 
of  stays,  an  article  of  apparel  worn 
often  by  dandies  and  in  general  use 
by  women  in  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. 

Bodkin. — A  large  pin  for  the  hair, 
usually  of  gold  or  silver. 

Bombards. — Padded  breeches. 

Bombazin,  Bomberzeen,  or  Bombax. 

— A  mixture  of  silk  and  cotton,  fre- 
quently advertised  in  old  papers. 

Bone-lace. — Usually  of  linen  thread 
made  over  bobbins  of  bone,  whence 
the  name. 

Bonnet. — We  read  of  silk  bonnets  as 
early  as  1725  in  New  England,  and 
in  1760  of  satin  bonnets,  quilted 
bonnets,  and  Kitty  Fisher  bonnets, 
also  of  Quebeck  and  Garrick  bon- 
nets, but  they  do  not  appear  in  the 
portraits  of  the  day,  and  were  prob- 
ably not  as  fashionable  as  hoods  and 
hats  until  late  in  the  eighteenth 
century. 

Bonnet-paper. — A  stiff  pasteboard  used 
for  the  frames  of  bonnets  and  hats. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


383 


Bosom-bottle. — A  small  flat  glass  bot- 
tle, sometimes  covered  with  silk  to 
match  the  gown,  concealed  in  the 
stomacher  of  the  dress  to  hold  water 
for  flowers,  so  generally  worn  by 
ladies  in  the  last  half  of  the  eight- 
eenth century. 

Brawls  or  Brouls. — A  blue  and  white 
striped  cotton  cloth  made  in  India, 
advertised  in  newspapers  1785  to 
1795- 

Breast    Knot    or    Bosom   Knot. — A 

dainty  touch  of  coloured  ribbon 
worn  from  1730  and  for  the  remain- 
der of  the  century. 

Breeches. — Were  worn  by  the  early 
Colonists,  of  dressed  leather,  but 
afterward  they  were  made  of  every 
material.  At  first  the  shape  was 
loose,  fastened  in  at  the  knee  and 
waist,  but  before  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century  they  were  worn 
skin-tight. 

Breeches-hooks. — A  device  upon 
which  the  breeches  were  hung  to 
keep  them  in  shape,  mentioned  in 
the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. 

Brigandine. — A  plate  coat. 

Broadcloth. — A  fine  woolen  cloth  with 
a  smooth  surface,  mostly  used  for 
men's  garments,  and  always  regarded 
with  respect  by  the  lower  classes. 

Ye  wha  are  fain  to  hae  your  name 
Wrote  in  the  coney  Book  of  Fame 
Let  merit  nae  pretension  claim 

To  laurelled  wreath! 
But  hop  ye  weel,  baith  back  and  wame 

In  gude  Braid  claith! 
Braid  claith  lends  fock  an  unco  heese! 
Makes  many  kail-worms  butterflies! 
Gives  mony  a  Doctor  his  degrees 

For  little  skaith. 
In  short  you  may  be  what  you  please, 

Wi  gude  Braid  Claith! 

— Robert  Ferguson. 

Buff-coat. — A  leather  outer  garment 
made  exceedingly  strong,  sometimes 
J  of  an  inch  in  thickness.     Much 


used  in  the  Civil  Wars  in  England 
and  by  the  Colonists  of  that  period. 

Buffin. — A  coarse  cloth  first  made  in 
Elizabeth's  reign. 

Buffonts. — A  piece  ot  gauze  or  lace 
worn  over  or  round  the  neck,  and 
puffed  out  over  the  breast  like  a 
"pouter  pidgeon."  In  New  Eng- 
land papers  of  1771  "Gauze  Buf- 
fons"  were  advertised. 

Bugles. — Glass  beads  used  in  trim- 
mings very  early  in  the  Colonies. 

Burgoigne. — The  front  part  of  a  head- 
dress next  the  hair. 

Caddis  or  Cades. — A  woolen  tape,  often 
woven  into  garters,  and  in  common 
use  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

Calash. — From  the  French  caliche,  a 
hood  made  to  pull  over  the  head, 
introduced  into  England  in  1765  by 
the  Duchess  of  Bedford  and  very 
popular  in  the  Colonies.  Possibly 
a  revival  of  the  old  fashion  seen 
in  the  recumbent  effigies  of  the  six- 
teenth and  seventeenth  centuries. 

Calico. — Originally  Calicut,  from  the 
town  in  India  whence  it  was  im- 
ported; later  the  name  was  applied 
to  a  cotton  fabric  in  general  wear 
at  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  To- 
wards the  end  of  the  century  calico 
was  worn  by  people  of  all  conditions. 
The  French  calicoes  imported  were 
very  fine  and  delicate  in  colouring, 
and  were  often  used  for  trimming 
plain  materials. 

Calks. — Clogs  with  spiked  soles  to  keep 
one  from  slipping  on  the  ice. 

Callimanco. — According  to  Fairholt,  a 
glazed  linen  fabric  showing  a  pattern 
on  one  side  only,  but  described  by 
some  writers  as  a  fashionable  woolen 
material  with  a  fine  gloss.  It  was 
undoubtedly  popular  in  the  Col- 
onies. "Callimanco  gounds"  are 
mentioned  in  America  in  1666. 


384 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


Callot. — A  plain  cap  or  coif. 

Camlet  or  chamlet. — A  fabric  made  of 
wool  or  silk,  sometimes  of  both, 
much  used  for  cloaks  and  petticoats 
in  all  the  Colonies.  The  name  is 
derived  from  the  place  of  its  manu- 
facture on  the  banks  of  the  River 
Camlet  in  England. 

Campaign-wigs. — Were  very  fashion- 
able at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth 
and  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
turies. They  were  full  and  curled 
towards  the  front. 

Cannons. — Garters  or  breeches- fas- 
teners. 

Canvas. — A  stiff  woven  cloth  of  flax 
or  hemp. 

■Cap. — The  general  name  for  a  popular 
head  covering  of  both  sexes. 

"Any  cap  whate'er  it  be 
Is  still  the  sign  of  some  degree." 

Capuchin  or  Capucine. — A  cloak  with 
hood  like  a  Capuchin  monk's,  fash- 
ionable in  the  early  part  of  the  eight- 
eenth century. 

Carcanet. — A  necklace  set  with  stones 
or  strung  with  pearls. 

Cardinal. — Cloak  with  a  hood  like  the 
mozetta  worn  by  cardinals  which 
came  into  use  early  in  the  eighteenth 
century. 

Casket-girls. — Name  given  to  the  girls 
sent  out  by  the  French  Government 
to  Louisiana,  each  provided  with  a 
small  trunkful  of  clothing. 

Cassock. — A  loose  coat,  like  a  jerkin, 
worn  by  men. 

Catgut. — A  cloth  woven  in  cords  and 
used  for  lining  and  stififening  gar- 
ments. 

Cathedral  Beard. — According  to  Ran- 
dle  Holmes,  this  style  of  beard  was 
worn  by  dignitaries  of  the  Church. 


It  was  cut  square  and  broad  at  the 
ends. 

Caul. — A  net  to  confine  the  hair.  The 
back  part  of  a  wig  or  a  woman's  cap 
is  sometimes  called  a  caul. 

Caushets. — Corsets. 

Cherridary. — An  Indian  cotton  stuff 
like  gingham.     (1712  and  after.) 

Chicken-skin. — Chicken  skin  gloves 
were  worn  in  bed  to  keep  the  hands 
white  as  late  as  the  reign  of  George 
III. 

Chin-band  or  chin-cloth. — A  muffler 
of  lace  worn  by  ladies  of  the  time 
of  Charles  I. 

Chints  or  chintz. — (From  the  Hindoo 
"chint,"  i.  e.,  spotted  cloth) — cotton 
printed  in  several  colours. 

Clocks. — The  plaits  of  a  ruff,  also 
ornaments  on  stockings. 

Clogs. — Overshoes  of  various  materials 
worn  in  the  Colonies  throughout  the 
eighteenth  century. 

Cloth  of  Bodkin. — A  rich  cloth  inter- 
woven of  silk  and  gold.  The  name 
is  a  corruption  of  Baldach,  the  an- 
cient name  of  Bagdad,  whence  it 
was  brought. 

Clout. — A  coarse  kerchief  worn  on  the 
head. 

Cockers,  Cocurs,  Cocrez. — Laced  high 
shoes  or  half-boots ;  also  thick  stock- 
ings without  feet. 

Coif  or  Quoif . — A  close-fitting  cap. 

Colbertine,  Colberteen,  or  Colbat- 
teen. — A  lace  resembling  network, 
named  for  Monsieur  Colbert,  super- 
intendent of  the  French  King's 
manufactories.  Randle  Holmes  de- 
scribes it  as  "an  open  lace  with  a 
square  grounding."  It  ultimately 
became    cheap    and    unfashionable. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


385 


Swift,   in   "Cadens    and   Vanessa," 
says: 

"The  difference  between 
Rich  Flanders  lace  and  Colbertine." 

Collaret. — A  puff  made  of  soft  ribbon 
worn  around  the  throat  ending  in  a 
bow  beneath  the  chin. 

Commode. — A  lady's  head-dress  made 
on  a  frame  of  wire  two  or  three  tiers 
high  fitted  to  the  head  and  covered 
with  tiflfany  or  other  thin  silk.  It 
came  into  fashion  in  England  during 
the  reign  of  William  and  Mary. 

Copatain. — A  sugar-loaf  hat,  "a  capped 
crown  hat." 

Cordevan. — A  leather  of  goatskin,  ori- 
ginally from  Cordova,  Spain;  some- 
times spelt  "  cordewayne,"  whence 
"cordwainer"  or  "cordiner,"  a 
shoemaker.    , 

Comet. — A  cap,  apparently  a  Dutch 
fashion. 

Corselet. — A  light  body  armour. 

Cote. — In  old  English  was  a  woman's 
gown. 

Cravat. — A  neck-cloth  and  often  a  very 
costly  article  of  dress.  Governor 
Berkeley  of  Virginia  ordered  one 
from  England  in  1660  which  was 
to  cost  five  pounds. 

Cremesyn. — Crimson  velvet. 

Criardes. — Name  given  to  paniers  of 
stiffened  linen,  which  creaked  with 
every  movement. 

Crocus. — A  coarse  stuff  worn  by  slaves 
and  working  people. 

Crosscloth. — A  part  of  a  woman's  head- 
dress worn  across  the  forehead. 
Worn  in  Maryland  in  1642  and 
Massachusetts  in  1647. 

Cue  de  Paris. — According  to  Watson, 
a  sort  of  bustle  padded  with  horse- 
hair. 


Cuirass. — Armour  for  the  breast  and 
back  (name  derived  from  cuir) 
made  of  leather  or  of  metal  fastened 
with  leather  thongs. 

Curch  or  Curchef.— A  plain  close-fit- 
ting cap  worn  by  women  in  the 
Colonies. 

Curli-murli. — A  fantastic  curl  or  twist. 

Cypress,  Cyprus,  Sipers,  Sypress,  or 
Syphus. — The  material,  found  un- 
der all  these  spellings,  is  described 
in  1678  as  a  fine  curled  stuff,  part 
silk,  part  hair,  and  of  a  cobweb  thin- 
ness. It  was  used  like  crape  for 
mourning. 

Dag- wain. — A  rough  material  used  for 
coverlets  for  beds,  tables,  or  floors. 

Damask  or  Damascus. — A  fabric 
woven  in  elaborate  patterns  of  silk, 
wool,  or  linen.  Wool  damask  was 
used  for  curtains  and  bed  hangings 
in  Colonial  days. 

"Damask  white  and  azure  blewe 
Well  diapered  with  lilies  new." 

— "  The  Squire  of  Low  Degree." 

Dauphiness. — A  certain  style  of  man- 
tle advertised  in  Boston  in  1755. 

Deriband  or  Deribund. — A  thin  ma- 
terial made  in  India. 

Desoy  or  Sergedesoy. — A  coarse  silken 
material  used  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury for  men's  clothing. 

Dimity,  Dimothy,  or  Demyt. — This  is 
a  fine  ribbed  cotton  fabric  made  first 
in  Damietta,  used  throughout  the 
Colonial  period  and  until  the  present 
day. 

Domex. — A  heavy  coarse  linen,  like 
canvas. 

Doublet. — A  garment  usually  made  of 
two  thicknesses  of  stuff,  whence  its 
name. 

Dowlas. — A  heavy  linen  originally  from 
Brittany. 


386 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


Drawers. — Summer  breeches. 

Drugget. — A  fabric  of  wool  used  for 
heavy  coats,  etc. 

Ducape. — A  heavy  corded  silk  of  plain 
colour  mentioned  in  inventories  from 
1675.  It  was  durable  and  very 
popular. 

Duck. — A  strong  linen  fabric  without  a 
twill. 

vDuffels  or  Duffals. — A  woolen  stuff 
originally  made  in  Flanders,  used 
in  the  Colonies  in  1672  and  after. 

Durant. — A  woolen  fabric,  sometimes 
called  "everlasting." 

Dussens. — A  sort  of  kersey.  The  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  Colonists  were  sup- 
plied with  "  100  sutes  of  Norden 
dussens." 

Embroidery. — Variegated  needlework 
used  for  decoration  of  dress.  From 
the  French  hroder. 

"Embroidered  was  he,  as  it  were  a  mede 
All  of  fresh  flowers,  white  and  red." 

— "Canterbury  Tales." 

Engageants.— Deep  double  rufHes 
hanging  down  to  the  wrist. 

"About  her  sleeves  are  engageants." 

— "Mundus  Muliebris,"   1690. 

Eschelles  or  Echelles. — A  stomacher 
laced  or  ribboned  in  the  form  of  a 
ladder. 

Face-painting.— Portrait  painting. 

Falbalas  or  Furbelows. — Rows  of  plait- 
ing or  puffs,  fashionable  in  the  time 
of  William  and  Mary.  A  puckered 
flounce. 

Falding. — A  kind  of  coarse  cloth — like 
frieze. 

Fall. — A  falling  band,  a  large  collar, 
worn  in  the  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth centuries. 

Fallals.— Full  soft  ruffles  used  for 
trimming. 


Farthingale. — The  under  supporter  of 
the  wide  gown  or  petticoat  worn  in 
the  time  of  Elizabeth  and  James  I. 
Made  like  a  circular  cushion  stuffed 
with  hair,  and  worn  just  below  the 
waist-line. 

Farthingale  Breeches. — Stuffed  out 
like  a  farthingale,  supposed  to  be  a 
protection  from  poniard  thrusts 
and  for  that  reason  encouraged  by 
James  I. 

Favourite. — A  lock  dangling  on  the 
temples. 

Felt. — A  fabric  of  wool  and  hair.  Felt 
hats  were  first  made  in  England  in 
the  days  of  Henry  VIII. 

Firmament. — An  encircling  ornament 
for  the  head  set  with  gems. 

Fly-fringe. — A  very  popular  trimming 
made  of  tufts  of  silk  to  match  or 
contrast  with  the  gown.  In  fashion 
all  through  the  Georgian  Era. 

FoUette. — A  very  Hght  fichu. 

Fontange. — A  knot  of  ribbon  worn  on 
the  head-dress,  so  called  for  Mile. 
Fontange,  who  first  wore  it.  Some- 
times confused  with  the  Commode, 
on  top  of  which  it  was  usually  worn. 

Fote  or  Foot-mantel. — An  outer  skirt 
worn  by  a  woman  on  horseback  to 
keep  her  gown  clean. 

French  Fall. — A  sort  of  shoe. 

Frieze. — A  thick  and  warm  woolen 
cloth  in  use  since  the  fourteenth 
century. 

Frilals. — Borders  of  ornamental  rib- 
bon. 

Frontlet. — A  piece  of  stuff  worn  under 
the  hood  and  projecting  beyond  it 
over  the  forehead. 

Furbelows. — An  ornamental  trimming 
for  women's  gowns,  described  as  a 
puckered  flounce. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


387 


Fustian. — A  species  of  cloth,  originally 
made  at  Fusht  on  the  Nile,  used 
for  jackets  and  doublets  as  early  as 
the  fifteenth  century.  It  had  a  warp 
of  linen  thread  and  a  woof  of  thick 
cotton. 

Fygury. — An  old  name  for  silk  diapered 
with  figures  of  flowers  and  fruit. 

Galloon  or  Galon. — A  kind  of  lace 
made  of  silk  woven  with  cotton,  gold, 
or  silver,  or  of  silk  only. 

Gamoshes. — High  boots  worn  about 
1688. 

Garters. — The  New  England  Colonists 
were  furnished  with  Norwich  garters. 
In  the  time  of  James  I  garters  were 
small  sashes  of  silk  tied  in  a  large 
bow. 

Gauze. — A  transparent  silk  texture  in- 
vented at  Gaza  in  Palestine,  whence 
its  name. 

Gelofer  or  Gillofer. — The  old  name  for 

carnation  pinks. 

Gloves. — Were  worn  on  all  occasions 
of  ceremony  by  both  sexes  in  early 
Colonial  Days.  They  were  often 
embroidered  in  gold  or  silver.  We 
read  of  perfumed  gloves  in  England 
in  1631. 

"One  gives  to  me  perfumed  gloves,  the 

best  that  he  can  buy  me. 
Live  where  I  will,  I  will  have  the  loves 

of  all  that  come  nigh  me." 
— "A  Fayre  Portion  for  a  Fayre  Maide." 

Glove  Tightens. — To  keep  the  long 
gloves  in  place,  were  made  of  plaited 
hair  as  well  as  of  ribbon. 

Goffering. — The  mode  of  ironing  the 
plaits  of  a  ruff  over  heated  poking 
or  goffering  sticks. 

Golosh. — A  shoe  with  soles  of  wood  or 
leather  kept  on  by  straps  over  the 
instep. 

Gorget. — An  ornamental  neckband 
which  was  full  and  broad  in  front, 
worn  as  early  as  1642  in  the  Col- 

17 


onies.     Metal    gorgets    were    worn 
with  armour. 

Grain. — Scarlet  (a  colour). 

Grassets  or  Grazzets. — A  dress  stuff  in 
use  from  171 2  to  1768. 

Greaves. — Armour  worn  to  protect  the 
front  part  of  the  legs. 

Gridelin. — A  soft  blue  gray  colour 
fashionable  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. 

Grogram. — A  rough  fabric  of  silk  and 
wool  with  a  diagonal  weave.  Coun- 
try women  wore  gowns  of  it  in  the 
sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries 
in  England  and  it  was  much  used 
in  the  Colonies. 

Hair-clasps. — Worn  to  keep  the  back 
hair  in  place,  made  of  various  metals, 
and  often  set  with  pearls,  etc. 

Hair-lace. — A  fillet  for  the  hair,  much 
worn  in  the  eighteenth  century. 

Haling-hands. — Mittens  for  sailors  and 
workingmen.  The  palms  were  often 
lined  with  leather. 

Hanaper  or  Hamper. — A  wicker  bas- 

kiet. 
Hand-ruffs. — Ruffles  for  the  wrist. 

Hanger. — A  small  sword  worn  by  gen- 
tlemen with  morning  dress  in  the 
seventeenth  century. 

Hatch. — A  locker  in  which  clothing  was 
kept  and  which  generally  stood  at 
the  foot  of  the  bed  and  was  used  as 
a  seat. 

Hive. — A  sort  of  straw  bonnet  shaped 
like  a  bee-hive. 

"  Upon  her  head  a  platted  hive  of  straw 
which  fortified  her  visage  from  the 
sun." 

Hoods. — (from  the  Anglo-Saxon  Hood) 
— Were  worn  with  great  variations 
of  fashion  by  both  sexes  from  the 
eleventh  to  the  eighteenth  century 
Replaced  by  caps  and  hats  in  the 
reign  of  George  II. 


388 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


Hookers. — The  name  given  to  certain 
sects  who  eschewed  the  use  of  but- 
tons.    Mennonites  or  Dunkers. 

Hoops. — In  the  Colonies  followed  all 
the  English  changes  of  shape,  and 
were  worn  by  old  and  young.  (1712- 
1778.) 

Hum-Hum. — A  coarse  cotton  fabric 
brought  from  India,  used  for  lining 
coats,  etc.,  17 50-1 7 70. 

Inkle. — A  woolen  tape  or  braid.  Used 
as  a  trimming  and  sewed  on  in  pat- 
terns. 

Iron-pot. — Familiar  name  of  the  iron 
head-piece  worn  by  Cromwell's  sol- 
diers. 

Isabella  colour. — Dirty  white. 

Jack-boots. — Were  introduced  in  the 
seventeenth  century. 

Jacket. — A  popular  garment  worn  in 
the  Colonies  from  1641  and  after. 

Jean. — A  twilled  cotton  cloth  used  both 
for  underwear  and  for  outer  gar- 
ments. Summer  suits  for  men  were 
often  made  of  jean  in  the  Colonies. 

Jerkin. — Another  name  for  jacket  or 
doublet. 

Jerkinet. — A  similar  garment  for 
women. 

Joseph. — A  lady's  riding-habit  but- 
toned down  the  front.  When  worn 
open  this  garment  was  popularly 
called  a  "  flying  Josie." 

Jumps. — A   loose   bodice   for   women, 
also  a  loose  coat  or  jacket  for  men, 
reaching    to    the    thighs,    buttoned' 
down  the  front,  with  sleeves  to  the 
wrist. 

Kendal. — A  green  woolen  cloth  or  baize 
first  made  at  Kendal  in  England. 

Kenting. — A  fine  linen  fabric. 

Kersey. — (under  various  spellings) — 
A  fine  woolen  material. 


Kincob  or  Kinkhaib. — A  rich  Indian 
stuff  of  silk,  brocaded  in  flowers  and 
large  figures. 

Kirtle. — A  loose  gown  or  tunic. 

Kist. — A  chest. 

Knop. — A  button. 

Lace. — A  lacing  cord  (the  name  came 
from  lacier,  "to  fasten").  In  the 
earlier  days,  trimming  woven  with 
gold  and  silver  thread  and  put  on 
in  flat  rows.  In  its  later  sense  sig- 
nifying that  delicate  and  beautiful 
fabric  which  is  one  of  the  most  ad- 
mirable ornaments  of  costume. 
Mechlin,  a  favourite  lace  in  the  Col- 
onies, was  made  in  Flanders;  point- 
lace  or  French  point,  also  much 
worn,  was  made  in  Alenfon. 

"  Your  snowy  wrists  do  Mechlin  pendants 

grace; 
And    do  the   smartest    wigs   adorn  thy 

face?" 
— "  The  Test  0}  Love,"  Nicholas  Amherot. 

Lappets. — The  lace  pendants  of  a  lady's 
cap  or  head-dress.  Very  fashion- 
able in  the  last  half  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

Lawn. — A  delicate  fabric  used  as  early 
as  Elizabeth's  day. 

Leno. — A  thin  linen  fabric  used  for  caps. 

Levite. — Another  name  for  a  polonese, 
and  made  of  dimity  and  muslin, 
often  bordered  with  chintz  or  calli- 
manco. 

Linset. — The  stool  on  which  a  woman 
sat  when  spinning. 


)<(i 


insey-wolsey. — A  coarse  woolen  stuff 
first  made  at  Linsey  in  Suffolk, 
England,  and  very  popular  in  the 
Colonies. 

Liripipes. — Long  streamers  of  gauze 
or  ribbon  attached  to  a  head-dress 
and  often  hanging  to  the  feet. 

Loo  masks. — Half  masks  covering  the 
face  to  the  nose  only. 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


389 


Loretto. — A  silk  material  used  for 
waistcoats. 

Love -lock. — A  long  ringlet  of  hair 
worn  on  the  left  side  of  the  head. 

Lustring. — A  soft  silk,  plain  or 
flowered,  in  general  wear  for  many- 
years. 

Macaroni. — Nickname  for  a  London 
fop.  Whence  arose  the  use  of  the 
word  in  the  contemporary  doggerel 
of  Yankee  Doodle  and  its  applica- 
tion as  a  name  in  the  American 
Revolution  to  a  body  of  Maryland 
troops  remarkable  for  showy  uni- 
forms. (1770-1775.)  (Century 
Dictionary.) 

Mandillion. — An  outer  garment.  The 
New  England  Colonists  wore  them 
lined  with  cotton  and  fastened  with 
hooks  and  eyes. 

Mantee. — A  coat  with  sleeves  which 
hung  open  from  the  throat  showing 
the  stomacher  and  petticoat  beneath. 

Mantua. — A  form  of  sacque  for  out- 
door wear,  sometimes  name  of  ma- 
terial for  making  sacques.  We  read, 
for  instance,  of  yellow  mantua  silk 
in  1 741. 

Masks. — As  a  protection  from  the  sun 
and  wind,  were  worn  by  women  and 
children  in  all  the  colonies. 

Mercury. — The  name  for  a  certain  kind 
of  cap  for  women  in  fashion  about 
1760  in  Boston  and  elsewhere. 

Mittens. — Were  made  of  heavy  cloth 
and  of  dressed  skins  as  well  as 
knitted  of  wool. 

Mitts. — Fingerless  gloves  made  of  kid 
or  silk  and  often  of  lace-work  for 
summer  wear.  Mitts  made  of  cot- 
ton or  linen  like  the  dress  were  but- 
toned to  the  shoulder  of  the  gown 
and  were  in  fashion  after  the  Revolu- 
tion. 


Mode. — A  contraction  of  "alamode," 
a  thin  silk.  A  mantle  with  a  hood 
fashionable  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury was  also  called  a  ''  mode." 

Modesty-piece. — A  piece  of  lace  worn 
across  the  upper  part  of  the  stays. 

Monmouth  Cap. — A  popular  headgear 
mentioned  in  the  outfits  of  the  Col- 
onists. Made  originally  in  the  old 
parts  of  the  town  of  Monmouth, 
which  is  still  known  as  the  Capper's 
town. 

Monteroe  or  Mountero  Cap. — Made 
with  a  low  crown  and  flap  which 
could  be  turned  down  for  protection. 

Morion. — A  head-piece  of  armour  intro- 
duced from  Spain  and  worn  by  Eng- 
lish soldiers  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
sixteenth   century. 

Mouches. — Black  patches  were  thus 
called  because  they  looked  like  flies. 

Mufifetees  or  Wristlets. — Were  worn 
when  the  coat  sleeves  were  short, 
by  men  and  women  in  the  time  of 
William  and  Mary. 

Muffs. — Have  been  in  use  from  early 
in  the  seventeenth  century  to  the 
present  day.  For  many  years  they 
were  carried  by  both  men  and  women 
and  made  of  woolen  stuff,  fur,  and 
feathers.  We  read  that  Judge  Dana 
of  Boston  carried  one  until  after  the 
Revolution. 

Murry. — Mulberry  colour. 

Nabob. — A  thin  East  India  stuff. 

Nankeen. — A  cotton  cloth  of  a  yellow 
colour  imported  from  China  and 
named  for  Nankin,  where  it  was 
made. 

Neck-cloths. — Worn  by  both  men  and 
women  in  the  Colonies. 

"  Before  your  glass  each  morning  do  you 
stand 
And  tie  your  neck -cloth  with  a  critic's 
hand." 

Neckstock. — A    stiffly    folded    cravat 


390 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


worn   close   to   the   throat,   finished 
with  a  buckle  at  the  back. 

Negligee. — A  loose  gown  or  sacque 
open  in  front  over  a  handsome  petti- 
coat; and,  in  spite  of  its  name,  was 
not  only  in  high  fashion  for  many 
years,  but  was  worn  in  full  dress. 

Night-rail. — A  dress  unconfined  at  the 
waist  and  closed  only  at  the  neck — 
literally  night-gowns,  which  the 
ladies  adopted  as  a  morning  costume. 

"Three  night-gowns  of  rich  Indian  stuff." 
— "Mundus  Muliebris." 

None-so-Prettys. — Fancy  tapes. 

Orange-butter. — A  pomade  used  in  the 
Dutch  Colonies. 

Orrice. — A  lace  or  gimp  trimming 
woven  with  gold  and  silver  thread. 

Oxford  Gown. — The  academic  gown 
worn  usually  on  public  occasions  by 
men  in  authority,  chiefly  as  a  badge 
of  office  in  the  Colonies. 

Oznaburg. — A  coarse  linen  made  in 
Hanover  and  named  for  a  province 
of  that  name. 

Paduasoy. — A  rich  smooth  silk  made 
originally  at  Padua. 

Palisade. — A  wire  sustaining  the  hair 
next  to  the  first  knot.  Part  of  the 
commode  head-dress. 

Paniers. — Were  made  of  hoops  of 
straw,  cane,  or  whalebone  fastened 
together  by  tapes. 

Paragon. — A  stuff  used  for  common 
wear  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

Patches. — First  introduced  towards  the 
end  of  the  reign  of  Charles  I  and 
varied  into  all  manner  of  shapes. 

Pattens. — A  sole  of  wood  on  iron  rings 
fastened  to  the  foot  by  leather  straps. 

Pelerine. — A  small  cape  with  long  ends 
in  front. 


Penistone. — (under  various  spellings) — 
A  coarse  woolen  stuff  made  in  Eng- 
land in  the  seventeenth  and  eigh- 
teenth centuries. 

Pennache. — A  bunch  of  tassels  or  nar- 
row ribbons. 

Perpetuana,  Petuna,  or  Perpets. — A 

glossy  woolen  stuff  like  lasting  worn 
by  the  Puritans  in  1629  and  after. 

Persian. — A  thin  silk  used  for  linings 
of  cloaks  and  hoods  or  for  summer 
gowns.  Sold  in  New  England  in 
the  eighteenth  century. 

Petticoat. — (Originally  petty-coet) — A 
garment  worn  universally  and  made 
of  every  sort  of  material.  Quilted 
petticoats  were  advertised  as  early  as 
1720  in  the  Colonies. 

Philomot. — Colour  of  a  dead  leaf. 

Pig^tail  Wig. — Wig  with  a  plaited  tail 
tied  with  a  ribbon,  worn  very  gener- 
"*  ally  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

Pilgrim. — A  cape  or  ruffle  fastened  to 
the  back  of  a  bonnet  to  shield  the 
neck;  usually  made  of  thin  silk. 

Pillion. — The  extension  of  a  saddle  on 
which  a  woman  rode  before  the  days 
of  side-saddles. 

Pinner. — Usually  a  child's  bib  or  apron 
and  mentioned  often  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  but  caps  fastened  on 
with  pins  were  also  called  pinners  in 
the  eighteenth  century. 

Pins  or  Pinnes. — Were  sold  for  one 
shilling  and  four  pence  a  thousand 
in  the  early  Colonial  days. 

Plumpers. — Very  thin  round  and  light 
balls  to  plump  out  and  fill  up  hollow 
cheeks. 

Points. — Ties  or  laces  of  ribbon  or 
leather  decorated  with  tags  and  used 
instead  of  buttons  to  fasten  garments 
together.     They  were  in  general  use 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


391 


until  late  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
both  for  armour  and  civilian's  dress. 

Polonese. — A  long-sleeved  coat-like  gar- 
ment for  women  opening  down  the 
front,  finished  often  with  a  large 
hood  at  the  back  of  the  neck. 

Pomander. — A  perforated  ball  or  box 
filled  with  perfumes,  used  to  pre- 
vent infection. 

Pompadour   or  Pompadore. — Was  a 

word  in  constant  use  in  the  eighteenth . 
century.     We    read    of    Pompadore 
shoes,  laces,  caps,  aprons,  sacques, 
stockings,  and  head-dresses. 

Pompon  .^-An  ornament  made  of  arti- 
ficial flowers,  feathers,  tinsel,  etc. 

Pretintailles. — L7aFge-riit-out  patterns 
laid  on  a  dress  as  trimming.  iTrtfe^^ 
duced  in  the  time  of  William  and 
Mary. 


Pninella.- 

lasting. 


-A   close   woolen   stuff   like 


Puce  Colour. — Colour  of  a  flea, 
given  by  Louis  XVI. 


Name 


Pug. — A  short  cape  with  hood  attached 
and  usually  made  of  silk,  velvet,  or 
cloth. 

Pump. — A  shoe  with  a  thin  sole  and 
low  heel,  first  mentioned  in  the  six- 
teenth century. 

Purl. — A  species  of  edging  used  on 
caps,  collars,  cuffs,  etc. 

Qualitie. — A  coarse  tape  for  strings  or 
binding,  used  in  all  the  Colonies  be- 
tween 1700  and  1800. 

Rail  or  Rayle. — A  loose  garment  (old 
English),  but  later  applied  only  to 
night-gowns. 

Ramall  or  Romall. — A  neckerchief  or 
small  shawl  to  be  worn  over  the 
shoulders. 


Ramilie. — A  wig  bushy  at  the  sides,  a 
braided  tail  in  the  back  with  a  large 
bow  at  top  and  small  bow  at  the 
end.     (1708  and  after.) 

Rash. — A  wool  fabric  of  inferior  quality. 

Ratteen. — A  heavy  woolen  material 
something  like  drugget. 

Rayonn€. — A  species  of  hood. 

Robings.— -The  ornamental  part  of  a 
gown,  such  as  lapels,  reveres,  etc. 

Rocket  or  Rochet. — A  long  woolen 
mantle  trimmed  with  fringe. 
Brought  from  Devon  or  Cornwall. 

Roquelaure  or  Roquelo. — A  cloak  for 
both  men  and  women,  named  for 
the  Duke  of  Roquelaure,  mentioned 
in  New  England  papers  of  1730. 
Made  of  all  heavy  materials  and 
generally  of  bright  colours.  Often 
two  small  capes  of  the  same  material 
finished  the  garment  on  the  shoul- 
ders. 

Roses. — Ornaments  in  the  form  of  roses 
made  of  ribbons,  lace,  and  even 
jewels.  One  of  the  pet  extrava- 
gances of  the  seventeenth  century. 
Worn  on  shoes,  garters,  and  hat- 
bands. We  read  of  an  EngHsh  gal- 
lant who  paid  30  pounds  for  a  pair. 

Round-cord  Cap. — A  cap  which  was 
tied  on  with  a  fine  cord  back  of  the 
ears. 

Ruflles. — Of  lawn  and  lace  were  worn 
in  the  sleeves  and  in  the  front  of  the 
shirts  until  after  1800. 

Russel  or  Russet. — A  twilled  woolen 
stuff  like  baize,  much  worn  in  the 
Colonies. 

"Our  clothing  is  good  sheepskins 
Gray  russet  for  our  wives 
'Tis  warmth  and  not  gay  clothing 
That  doth  prolong  our  lives." 

— "Coridon's  Song." 

Safeguard. — An  outside  petticoat  worn 
over  the  dress  as  a  protection  from 


392 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


mud  or  dust  in  riding  by  women  in 
the  Colonies.     (1650  and  after.) 

Sagathy  or  Sagathie.— A  durable 
woolen  stuff. 

Samara  or  Semnar. — A  lady's  jacket. 
Originally  a  Dutch  garment.  "  It  had 
a  loose  body  and  side  flaps,  or  skirts 
which  extended  to  the  knee,  the 
sleeves  short  to  the  elbow,  turned 
back  and  faced"  (Randle  Holmes). 
The  samare  was  often  made  long 
and  was  worn  opening  over  a  petti- 
coat and  waistcoat  very  much  like 
the  English  sacque. 

Sarsnet,  Sarsenet,  or  Sarsinet. — A  thin 
silk  still  in  use,  but  dating  from  the 
thirteenth  century. 

Satin  Jean. — A  thick  cotton  cloth  with 
a  glossy  surface  used  for  shoes  and 
similar  purposes. 

Say  or  Soy. — (from  the  French  soie) — 
Originally  a  silk  and  wool  material. 
It  is  mentioned  in  Colonial  lists 
from  1629  to  1768. 

Serge. — A  twilled  fabric  of  either  wool 
or  silk,  often  of  both. 

Shades. — ^A  head  covering,  or  a  stuff 
suitable  for  headgear.  We  read 
in  1766  of  "painted  lawns  and 
chequer'd  shades." 

Shadow. — A  sunshade  either  worn  on 
the  head  or  held  in  the  hand,  (i  580- 
1647  ^.nd  after.) 

Shag. — A  heavy  woolen  cloth  with  a 
long  nap.     (1632  and  after.) 

Shagreen. — An  untanned  leather  with 
a  granular  surface  often  made  of 
sharkskin  and  dyed  green. 

Shalloons. — A  woolen  fabric  not  unlike 
the  modern  challis  and  made  in 
Chalons,  France. 

Sherry-v allies. — A  sort  of  legging  worn 
in  riding,  to  protect  from  mud,  but- 
toned up  outside  the  trousers. 


Shift. — A  shirt  or  chemise,  usually  of 
fine  linen.  This  undergarment  was 
in  Colonial  days  often  made  with 
long  sleeves  which  were  laid  in  fine 
plaits  with  a  knife  when  laundered. 

Shoepack. — A  shoe  shaped  like  a  moc- 
casin, without  a  separate  sole,  made 
of  tanned  leather  and  much  worn 
during  the  Revolution. 

Skilts. — Short  full  trousers  reaching 
just  below  the  knee,  full  half  a  yard 
wide  at  the  bottom.  Worn  during  the 
Revolution  by  the  country  people. 

Slyders  or  Slivers. — Overalls. 

Smock. — A  shirt  of  heavy  linen  worn 
by  farm  labourers  and  workingmen. 
Before  1700  a  shift  was  often  called 
a  smock.  In  "Mundus  Muliebris" 
we  read: 

"Twice    twelve  day-smocks  of   Holland 
fine 
Twelve  more    for  night,   all   Flanders 
lac'd." 

Snuff. — Came  into  general  use  in  Eng- 
land in  1702. 

Snuff-boxes. — Were  carried  by  both 
men  and  women  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  century. 

Solitaire. — A  broad  black  ribbon  intro- 
duced from  France  in  the  time  of 
Louis  XV  worn  close  around  the 
throat,  apparently  to  protect  the  coat 
from  the  powdered  wig.  Sometimes 
it  was  tied  to  the  back  of  the  wig 
and  brought  round  and  tucked  in 
the  shirt  ruffle.  According  to  ad- 
vertisements in  the  American  news- 
papers, it  was  much  worn  in  the 
Colonies. 

Sorti. — A  knot  of  small  ribbon  peeping 
out  between  the  pinner  and  bonnet. 

Spagnolet. — A  gown  with  narrow 
sleeves,  a  PEspagnole. 

Spanish   Paper. — A   red   colour   with 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


393 


which  the  ladies  of  Spain  painted 
their  faces.  It  was  made  up  into  Httle 
books  and  a  leaf  was  torn  out  and 
rubbed  upon  the  cheeks,  the  Vermil- 
lion powder  which  covered  it  being 
transferred  to  the  face.  It  was  in 
use  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. 

Stamin  or  Stammel. — A  heavy  cloth 
like  linsey-woolsey. 

Startups  or  Startop. — A  sort  of  buskin 
for  ordinary  wear  worn  in  the  six- 
teenth and  seventeenth  centuries  by 
country  folk. 

Stayhooks. — Small  ornamental  hooks 
stuck  in  the  edge  of  the  bodice  on 
which  to  hang  an  etui. 

Steinkirk. — A  cravat  folded  with  care- 
less grace.  Name  given  by  the 
French  to  commemorate  the  battle 
in  1692. 

Stirrup-hose. — Were  worn  on  horse- 
back to  protect  the  nether  garments. 
They  were  wide  at  the  back  and 
fastened  with  straps  to  the  girdle. 

Stock. — A  stiff  neck-cloth  buckled  at 
the  back  of  the  neck,  successor  to 
the  cravat. 

Stock-buckle. — Buckle  which  fastened 
the  stock. 

"  The  stock  with  buckle  made  of  plate 
Has  put  the  cravat  out  of  date." 

Strap  Cap. — A  cap  which  fastened  with 
flaps  under  the  chin. 

Sultane. — A  gown  caught  up  with  but- 
tons and  loops. 

Swanskin. — A  fleecy  cloth  like  Canton 
flannel,  used  for  linings,  etc. 

Tabby. — A  sort  of  watered  silk. 

Tabinet  or  Tabaret. — Another  name  for 
poplin,  used  for  petticoats,  and  also 
for  covering  furniture. 

Taffeta. — A  rich  cloth  used  first  in  the 


sixteenth  century  and  considered  a 
luxury  in  the  Colonial  days. 

Taminy. — A  woolen  stuff  like  alpaca, 
made  in  Norfolk,  1653  and  after. 

Tassets. — Splints  of  steel  fastened  to 
the  corselet  as  a  protection  for  the 
thighs.  Worn  until  late  in  the  seven- 
teenth century. 

Thrum. — The  extremity  of  a  weaver's 
warp,  often  about  nine  inches  long, 
which  cannot  be  woven.  Caps  and 
hats  knitted  of  this  material  were 
called  thrums. 

"And  her  thrum'd  hat  and   her  muffler 
too." 

Tiffany. — A  heavy  silk  fabric.  (1792  and 
after.) 

Tippets. — A  neck  covering  made  of  a 
variety  of  materials  worn  for  orna- 
ment, of  gauze  and  tissues,  and  for 
warmth,  of  fur. 

Tongs. — Overalls  of  coarse  cotton  or 
linen. 

Tufftaffeta. — A  taffeta  with  a  chenille 
stripe,  worn  in  New  England. 

Tuly. — A  shade  of  red. 

Turban  also  Turbin. — A  head-dress  for 
women  made  of  gauze  and  trimmed 
with  feathers,  very  fashionable  in  the 
Colonies.     (1760  and  after.) 

Trollopee. — Another  name  for  negligee. 

Vambrace. — The  piece  of  armour 
which  protected  the  forearm  from 
elbow  to  wrist. 

Vampay. — A  short  hose  or  sock  of  wool. 

Veil. — One  of  the  most  ancient  articles 
of  female  attire,  the  couvre  chef 
of  the  Anglo-Saxon  ladies  and  an 
important    part   of    the   conventual 


394 


HISTORIC  DRESS  IN  AMERICA 


costume,  but  retaining  its  place  in 
the  wardrobes  of  women  to-day. 

Whisk. — A  collarette  or  cape  to  cover 
the  neck  and  shoulders,  usually 
made  of  muslin  trimmed  with  lace 
and  worn  with  low-cut  gowns,  in 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  cen- 
turies. We  read  of  Tiffany  whisks 
in  1660. 


Whitney. — A  heavy  coarse  stuff  used 
for  coats,  cloaks,  and  petticoats, 
1737  and  after. 

Whittle. — A  blanket  shawl  with  fringe, 
worn  in  1665  and  after,  in  the  Col- 
onies. 

Worsted. — A  woolen  cloth  first  made 
at  Worstead  in  England  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  I. 


INDEX 


Index 


Ablettes,  72 

Acadian  exiles,  36 

Actors  in  America,  238 

Adams's,   Mrs.  Abigail,  letter  from  England, 

describing  the  fashions,  259 
Adventurers,  33,  43 
Advertisements  in  colonial  newspapers,  245- 

251 
Andre,  Major,  255 
Andros,  Sir  Edward,  136 
Aprons,  53,   68,  71,  100,  130,  195,  202 
Armour,  56,  59,  60,  99 
Arquebusiers,  27 
Artificial  flowers,  213 
Artisans,  33 
Attitude    of  the   Colonists  in  New   England 

towards  the  English  Church,  113,  114 


Baby-clothes,  283 

Back  boards,   196 

Bacon's  Rebellion,  anecdote  of,  71 

Baize,  gowns  of,  258 

Baldricks,  51 

Baltimore,  Lord,  56 

Bandoliers,  99,   103 

Bands,  51,  64 

Banyans,  315 

Barbadoes,  63 

Basquinas,  28 

Bath  bonnets,  222 

Bayard,  Nicholas,  costume  of,   144 

Bayard,  Madam,  costume  of,  147 

Beards,  44 

Beaver  hats,   190,  214 

Berkeley,  Sir  Wm.,  Governor  of  the  Virginia 

Colony,  48,  60,  61 
Bishops,   222 
Blacksmith,  53 
Boarding-school  outfit,  291 
Bobs,  300,   303 
Bodices,  coloured,  ^^ 
Bodices,  pair  of,  190 
Bonnets,    202,  214,  222,  225,  256,  273 
Boots,  64,  312,  324 
Bowne's,   Elizabeth,   descriptions  of  dress  in 

1798,   273 
Breeches,  53,  61,  67,  143 


Bricklayer,  53 

Bridal  veil,  206,  209 

Bridge  spectacles,  193 

Bridling,  196 

Brigade  Orders,  West  Point,  369 

Broad-brimmed  hats,  95,  312,  323 

Buccaneers,  27,  28 

Buckle,  247 

Buckles,  311 

Buckskin  breeches,  346 

Buckskin  shoes,  346 

Buff  coats,  59,  60,  107 

Burney,  Miss,  verses  on  a  great-coat  by,  257 

Burroughs,  Anne,  47 

Buttons,  64,  67,   109,  324 


Calash,  214,  222,  233 

California,   26,  31 

Campaign  wig,  147,  299 

Canes,  205 

Cannons  or  breeches  fastenings,  99 

Capes,  34 

Capotes,  34 

Caps   for   women,    100,    193,   214,   217,   257 

Capuchins,   229 

Cardinal,   140,   193,  194,  229 

Carpenters,  53 

Cavalier,  Robert,  Sieur  de  La  Salle,  32,  33 

Cavahers,  63 

Chaises,   263 

Chapeau  bras,  312 

Chatelaines,   133 

Chief  justice,  robe  of  a,  335 

Children,  dress   of,  17th  century,  47,  52,  113, 

13s 
Children,  dress  of,  i8th  century,  283,  292 
Chintz  gowns,   257 
Church  services,  17th  century,  54 
City  troop,   uniform  of  the,  350 
Cleaning  estabhshment,  249 
Clergymen,  dress  of,  17th  century,  54,  114,  115 
Clergymen,  dress  of,  i8th  century,  304,  307 
Cloaks,  100,  103,  193,  217,  229,  252,  263 
Clogs,  34,   186,  217 
Coats,  17th  century,  61,  109,  143 
Coats,   i8th  century,  312,  332 
Cockades,  376 


397 


398 


INDEX 


Cocked  hats,  143,  299,  328,  332 

Cocking  the  hat,  various  forms  of,  308,  311 

Coif  of  a  Dutch  matron,  130,  136 

Coifs,  men,  152,  156 

Coifs,  women,   164 

Colebatteen  ruffles,  147 

Colonial  militia,  99 

Colonial  period,  end  of,  255 

Commode,   108,   147,   181 

Connecticut  settlers,  84,  85 

Continental  soldiers,  uniform  of,  359 

Cordovan  leather,  26 

Corselets,  99 

Countryman,  17th  century,  54 

Cravats,  312 

Creedon,  Captain,  61 

Cue  de  Paris,  222 

Cuffs,  143,  202 

Cuirass    60 

Curli-murHs,   195 

Curls,  194 

Curtsey,  199 

Curwen,  Judge,   103 

Cushions  for  the  hair,  214,  217 

Custis  children,  clothes  ordered  for,  288 


Dances,  234 

Delany,  Mrs.,   193 

Delaware  settled,  136 

Delaware,  Swedes  on  the,  136 

Dentists,  248 

Deportment,   196 

Dickinson,  Maria,  letter  quoted,  258 

Discriminative  dress,  230 

Domestics,   244,  246 

Doublets,   28,  44,  51,  59,  61,  96,   109 

Drake,  Sir  Francis,  26 

Drummer,  53 

Dutch  babies,   129,   130 

Dutch  bridal  crown,  130 

Dutch  bride,  130 

Dutch  children,  dress  of,  135 

Dutch  merchants,   121 

Dutch  peasant  women,  dress  of,  126 

Dutch  settlers,  121 

Dutchman,  working  dress  of,  129 

Dyes,  122,  133 


Earrings,  52 

Encouragement  of  home  manufactures,  252 

Enghsh  gentleman,  dress  of,  17th  century,  44, 

51,  52,  139,  143 

English  gentleman,  dress  of,  i8th  century,  299 
English  gentlewoman,  dress  of,  17th  century, 

52,  139,  143 

English  gentlewoman,  dress  of,  i8th  century, 

177 
English  rule  in  all  the  Colonies,  139 
Etui,   202 
Eves,  Miss  Sarah,  journal  of,  241 


Falbalas,  143 

Falling  bands,  61,  96 

Falling  collars,  61,  96 

Fans,  68,  189,  214 

Farthingale,  47,  193 

Farthingale  breeches,  44 

Fashion  dolls,  178,  181,  256 

Feathers  in  the  hair,  195,  214 

Fenwick,  Lady  Mary,  108 

First  Troop  City  Cavalry,  uniform  of,  349 

Fithian,  Phihp,  diary  of,  230,  234 

Flounces,   143 

Fob  pockets,  318 

Forrest,  Mrs.,  47 

Franks,  Miss,  256 

French  curls,   196 

French  falls,  64 

French  settlers,  dress  of,  33,  34 

French  taste  prevalent  in  America,  256 

Frocks  or  overshirts,  263 

Full  dress  in  New  England  (middle  of  18th 

century),  214,  217 
Funeral  of  Lady  Andros,  107 
Furbelows,  143 
Fur  caps,   130 
Fur-trimmed  jackets,  130 


Galloon,  68 

Gauntlets,  99 

Geneva  gown,  56,  114 

George  III,  dress  in  the  reign  of,  202,  316 

German  settlers,  160,  163 

Gipsy  hats,  loi,  196,  214 

Gloves,  67,  96,  99,  100,  256,  323 

Gold  beads,  217 

Gold  lace,  99 

Gorget,  60 

Gray  hair  fashionable,  307 

Great-coats  for  men,  316,  319,  320,  332 

Great-coats  for  women,  257,  258 

Green  aprons  worn  by  Quakers,  140 

Gumbos,  35 

Guns,  99,  100    . 


Hair-dressing,  217,  218,  230,  250 

Hair  powder,  143,  193,  331 

Half-Moon,  The,  121 

Hampshire  kerseys,  96 

Hatchments,   107 

Hats,  95,  135,  140,  143,  332 

Head-dresses,  143,  194 

Helmets,  59 

Herrisons,  268 

Hibbins,  Mistress  Anne,  no 

Higginson,  letter  from,  84 

High  heels,   139 

High  prices  during  the  Revolution,  256 

Hogarth,  307 

Holland,  dress  of  the  women,  89 

Holland  shirts,  51,  61,  64 

Hollar,  Wenceslaus,  86 

Home  Life  in  New  England,  i8th  century,  263 


INDEX 


399 


Homespun  parties,  252 

Hoods,  34,  68,   looTTbS,  152,  185,  186,  214 

Hooks  and  eyes,  96 

Hoop,  the,  182,  193,  195,  217,  256 

Hooped  petticoats,  182,  193,  196,  199 

Horn  flasks,  99 

Horse-blocks,  263 

Horsehair  bonnets,  222 

Hose,  68 

Household  servants,  244 

Hubbard   store,   contents  of,    73 

Hudson,  Captain,  109 

Hudson,  Henry,  121 

Huguenots,  the,  122 

Hunting  shirts,  346,  354 


Inauguration  ball,  description  of,  267 
Inauguration   costumes  of  Washington,   267, 

328 
Irish  stockings,  96 

Isham,  Sir  Thomas,  wedding  suit  of,  no 
Italian  curls,  196 


Jackets,  130 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  suit  worn  by,  328 

Jersey  Blues,  uniform  of  the,  349 

Jerseys  (the)  settled,  136 

Jesuit  missionaries,  25,  26 

Jewelry,   17th  century,  72 

Jockey  coat,  311 

Judges,  costume  of,  152 

Jute-braids,  250 


Keeper  of  the  Great  Seal,  155 
Kerchiefs,  34 
Kitchen  utensils,  74 
Knit  caps,  96 


Labourers,  53,  133,  328 

Labrador  tea,  252 

Lake,  Mrs.,  93;  list  of  household  articles,  93; 
fur  mantle,  93 

Lange,  Dr.  Jacob  de,  wardrobe  of,  134 

Lange,  Mrs.  de,  wardrobe  of,  133 

Lappets,   195 

La  Salle,  Robert  Cavalier,  Sieur,  32,  33 

Law  Courts  in  England,  17th  century,  151 

Lawyers'  bags,  335 

Lawyers  in  the  Colonies,  17th  century,  114, 
115,  148;  i8th  century,  335 

Leather  breeches,  328,  332,  346 

Legal  costumes,  17th  century,  148;  1 8th  cen- 
tury, 335 

Legal  customs,  17th  century,  148;  i8th  cen- 
tury, 335,  336 

Leggings,  34,  332 

Lemcke,  Count,  167 

Leverett,  Sir  John,  Governor  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Colony,  100 


Light  Horse  of  Philadelphia,  uniform  of  the, 

.349 
Livery  at  Mt.  Vernon,  245 
Lolonais,  Francis,  28 
Long  Island  settled,  136 
Long  waistcoats,  303 
Lynn,  shoes  made  at,  95;  worn  by  women,  217 


Macaroni  costume,  241 

Macaronis,  the,  241,  243 

Maine  settled  in  1623,  113 

Mandillion,  84,  85,  96 

Manhattan,  gay  costumes  in,  122 

Manifesto  against  long  hair,  89 

Mantillas,   28 

Mantles,  68 

Marie  Antoinette,  Queen,  makes  a  reform  in 
dress  of  children,  292 

Maryland  settled,  56 

Masks,   193 

Mason,  53 

Massachusetts  Line,  Orders  for,  365 

Massachusetts:  Settled  in  1620,  83;  Order  of 
the  General  Court  of,  94,  95,  108;  dress 
of  women,  95;  a  religious  commonwealth, 

115 
Menendez  de  Aviles,  Pedro  de,  25 
Mennonites,   160 
Militia,  dress  of  the,  346 
Mincing  air,  312 
Minuet,  the,  234 
Minuit,  Peter,  121 
Minute-men,  dress  of  the,  346 
Mischianza,  255 
Mittens,  67,  100 
Mitts,  children's,  284 
Moccasins,  34 
Mocking  birds,  73 
Monmouth  caps,  44,  64,  96 
Moravian  caps,  167 
Moravians,  163,   164,   167 
Morgan,  Sir  Henry,  28 
Morions,  55 
Moro  (1500-1778),  25 
Mourning  dress  and  customs,    17th  century, 

104,   107,   108 
Mourning  dress,  i8th  century,  251 
Mourning  rings,  72,  107 
Muff-dogs,  62 
Muffs,  62,   143,  190 
Murillo(i6i8-i682),  25 
Musical  instruments,  74 
Musk-melon  bonnet,   222 


Neckcloths,  64,  109,  143,  147,  324 

Negligees,  199,  230 

Net  worn  over  a  queue,  316 

New   England,    17th   century,    dress   of   the 

women,  100 
New  Hampshire  settled  in  1623,  113 
New-market  coat,  316 
New  Orleans,  35 


400 


INDEX 


Non-conformists,  gowns  of,   114 
Nonnandy  peasants,  36 


Oak  sticks,  312 

Opera  glasses,  241 

Ordinary  people,  dress  of,  i8th  century,  328 

Ornatus  Muliebris  Anglicanus,  86 

Orrices,  147,  186 

Outfit  of  fashionable  man,  331 

Outfit  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colonists,  84 

Outfit  of  the  Virginia  Colonists,  44 

Overalls,  357 

Overshoes,  335 


Pamunkeys,  King  of  the,  77 

Pamunkeys,  Queen  of  the,  77 

Parasols,  214 

Pastors,     choosing,     in     thd     Massachusetts 

Colony,  114 
Patch  boxes,  189 
Patches,  62,  189 
Patriotic  agreement,  251 
Patroons,  122 
Pattens,  130,  201,   217 
Pearls,  52,  72 
Peccadilles,  51 
Peddlers,  74 
Penn,   William,    139;    advice  on  dress,    140; 

blue  sash,  139;   wigs,  143 
Pennsbury,  140 
Pepys,  109 
Percy,    Sir    George,    Governor    of    Virginia 

Colony,  51 
Perfumed  powders,  68 
Perfumes,  202,  205 
Periwigs  or  wigs,  64,  109,  140,  143,  147,  159, 

299,  300,  307,  312,  315,  319 
Perriot,  267,   271 
Perspective  glasses,  193 
Petticoat  breeches,  61 
Petticoats,  68,   130,   193,  202,  217 
Pigtails,  312 
Pikes,  99 
Pillions,  263 

Planters'  wives,  dress  of,  17th  century,  71 
Plymouth  pilgrims,  83 
Pockets,  242 

Points,  53,  54,  59,  85,  104 
Pohtical  badges,  189 
Pomander,  202 
Pompadours,  200 
Pompons,  195,  210 
Posey  dance,  28 
Potpourri,  205 
Pouncet  box,  202 
Powder,  hair,  143,   193,  331 
Preaching  gown,  56,  114 
Presbyterians,  gown  worn  by,   114 
Pritchard,  Mrs.  Frances,  wardrobe  of,  71 
Provincials,  uniforms  of  the,  346 
Puritans  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Co.,  83,  84 


Quaker  aprons,  140 

Quaker  bonnets,  225 

Quaker  hats,  140 

Quaker  settlers  in  Pennsylvania  Province,  139 

Quaker  weddings,  description  of,  226,  258 

Quakers,  dress  of  the,  139,  140,  225,  226,  229, 

258 
Quakers,  portraits  of,  258 
Queensbury,  Duchess  of,  a  wonderful  gown  of, 

195 
Queues,  316,  331 
Quilted  petticoats,  202,  257 
Quitasols,  230 


Ramilie  wig,  299,  304 

Rapiers,  109 

Restraining  Acts  of  the  Pilgrims,  96 

Revere,  Paul,  a  dentist,  248 

Rhode  Island  settled  1636,  113 

Richbell,  Robert,  109 

Riding  dress,  17th  century,  109 

Riding  sxiit,  a  lady's,  i8th  century,  186 

Ringlets,  273 

Rings,  72,  130 

Robings,   196,   273 

Roelas,  Juan  de  Las,   1558-1625,  25 

Rollers,  218 

Roquelaures,  229,  303,  320 

Rosettes,  96 

Roundhead  Puritans  (old  song),  89 

Ruffled  shirts,  332 

Ruffles,  139,  147,  195,  202 

Ruffs,  26,  44,  159 

Russell,  222 


Sacque,  182,  187,  201,  202 

Sailors,  dress  of,  328 

Samare,  133 

Sandys,  George,  52 

Sandys,  Sir  Edwin,  44 

Sartori,  Mrs.,  story  of  dress  worn  by,  274 

Scarfs,  214 

Scarlet  cloaks  worn  by  women,  263 

Scarlet  robes  worn  by  Judges,  103,  152,  335 

Scarlet  stockings,  299 

Scent  bottles,  202 

Sedan  chairs,  182 

Sergeant-at-law,    reign    of    Charles    II,    156; 

reign  of  James  II,  159 
Servants,  i8th  century,  244,  246,  268 
Seventh  Day  Baptists,  168 
Shoe-buckles,  64,  139 
Shoemaking  at  Salem,  90 
Shoes,  64,  68,  95,  96,  139,  143,  217,  328 
Shifts,   130 
Shirts,  51,  61,  64 
Short-waists,  273,  274 
Shoulder  belts,  99 
Silver  lace,  99 

Silverware  (17th  century),  74 
Skimmer  hat,  222 
Slashed  sleeves,  51,  96 


INDEX 


401 


Slaves,   dress  of,   245,  246 

Sleeves,  94,  143,  202,  217 

Slippers,  214 

Smith,  Captain  John,  44 

Snuff-boxes,  202,  311 

Snuff,  use  of,  311 

Spanish  gentleman,  dress  of,  i6th  century,  26 

Spanish  painters,  25 

Spanish  point-lace,  143 

Spanish  settlers,  25 

Spanish  soldiers,  i6th  century,  27 

Spanish  women,  dress  of,  28 

Spectacles,  193 

Square  toes,   139,  311 

St.  Augustine,  25,  26 

Stays,  190,  217 

Steinkirk,   147 

Stock  buckles,  300 

Stockings,  64,  68,  143,  214,  217,  299 

Stocks,  332 

Stoffelsen,  Vrouentje  Ides,  inventory  of  cloth- 
ing, 130 

Stomachers,   143,  182,  202 

Store  in  the  Virginia  Colony,  contents  of  a,  73 

Striped  silk,  coats  of,  273 

Stuyvesant,  Peter,  Governor  of  New  Am- 
sterdam, 125 

Sumptuous  dress,  109 

Surplices,  54 


Tabby,  68 

Tailors,  53,  249 

Tanneries,  95 

Tassetts,  59 

Temple  spectacles,  193 

Tete  moutonee,  196 

Texas,  31 

Theatre,  first,  in  America,  238 

Theatrical  costumes,  238 

Theatrum  Mulierum,  89 

Thrums,  53,  328 

Tiffany  hoods,  95 

Tippets,   155,  193 

Tow  cloth,  263 

Tower  and  commode,  181 

Traders,  34 

Tradesmen,  dress  of,  328 

Training  Day,  100 

Treaty  of  Paris  in  1764,  36 

Tuilles,  59 

Turbans,  214 


Umbrellas,  214,  320 
Undergirdle,  130 

Uniforms,  military,  1 775-1800,  340 
Uniforms,  naval,  1 775-1800,  340 

Vandyke  collar,  52 

Vandyke  edging,  51 

Vargas,  Luis  de  (1502-1568),  25 

Velasquez,  Diego  (1599-1660),  25 

Vests,  34 

Virginia  ball,  230 

Virginia  Company,  43 

Virginia  Infantry,  uniform  of  the,  349 

Vos,  Madame  Cornelia  de,  134 

Wagon  bonnet,  225 

Waistcoats,  67,  143,  186,  303,  307,  324,  332 

Walloons,  the,  122 

Walpole,  Horace,  206 

Wansey's,  Mr.,  description  of  dress  at  the 
theatre  in  Philadelphia,  272,  273 

Warren's,  Mrs.  Mercy,  271;  verses  on  dress, 
272 

Washington,  George,  dress  of,  first  inaugura- 
tion, 267;  second  inauguration,  328;  uni- 
form of,  349 

Washington,  Mrs.,  268 

Watches,  320 

Waterproof  capes,  320 

Watteau,  the  artist,  190 

Watteau  sacque,   182 

West  Point,  Brigade  Orders,  369 

Whig  colours,  349 

White,  Bishop,  anecdote  of,  307 

White,  Mrs.,  inventory  of,  200 

Wig  makers,  250 

Wigs  and  periwigs,  64,  109,  140,  143,  147, 
159,  299,  300,  303,  307,  312,  315,  319 

Willoughby,  Mrs.  Sarah,  wardrobe  of,  71 

Winthrop,  Margaret,  86 

Wister,  Sally,  dress  of,  257 

Wooden  heels,  68,  95 

Wooden  shoes,  68 

Worked  head,  194 

Workingman,  dress  of,  17th  century,  53,  54 

Workingman,  dress  of,  i8th  century,  244,  328, 

Yankee  Doodle,  242 
ZiNZENDORF,  Count,  dress  of,  168 


AUTHORITIES  CONSULTED 


i8 


Authorities    Consulted 


Calendar  0}  Virginia  State  Papers,  Richmond,  1875. 

History  0}  the  Virginia  Settlement,  Captain  John  Smith,  London,  1624. 

First  Discovery  and  Settlement  of  Virginia,  William  Stith,  Williamsburg,  1747. 

Virginia  Vetusta,  Edward  D.  Neill,  Albany,  1885. 

Virginia  Carolorum,  Edward  D.  Neill,  Albany,  1886. 

Economic  History  of  Virginia  in  the  Seventeenth  Century,  Philip  Alexander  Bruce, 
New  York,  1896. 

Old  Virginia  and  Her  Neighbors,  John  Fiske,  Boston,  1897. 

History  of  the  Barbadoes,  John  Poyer,  London,  1808. 

A  True  and  Exact  A  ccount  0}  the  Island  of  the  Barbadoes,  Richard  Ligon,  London, 

1657- 
Annals  0}  the  Swedes  on  the  Delaware,  John  C.  Clay,  Philadelphia,  1835. 
Economic  and  Social  History  0}  New  England,  1620-1789,  William  B.  Weeden, 

Boston,  1890. 

History  of  Norwich,  Connecticut,  Frances  Mainwaring  Caulkins,  Norwich,  1866. 

History  and  Antiquities  of  Boston,  Samuel  Drake,  Boston,  1856. 

History  of  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  Alonzo  Lewis  and  James  R.  Newhall,  Boston, 

1865. 
Life  of  William  Penn,  Samuel  M.  Janney,  Philadelphia,  1852. 
The  Germans  in  Pennsylvania,  WiUiam  Beidelman,  Easton,  1898. 
The  Story  of  Louisiana,  Maurice  Thompson,  Boston,  1889. 
Colonial  Days  and  Ways,  Helen  Evertson  Smith,  New  York,  1900. 
Dutch  and  Quaker  Colonies  in  America,  John  Fiske,  Boston,  1899. 
New  Jersey  as  a  Colony  and  as  a  State,  Francis  Bagley  Lee,  New  York,  1902. 
Social  History  of  Flatbush,  Mrs.  Vanderbilt,  New  York,  1881. 
History  of  New  York,  M.  J.  Lamb,  New  York,  1877. 
A  Short  History  of  the  English  Colonies  in  America,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  New 

York,  1 88 1. 
A  Story  of  the  City  of  New  York,  Charles  Burr  Todd,  New  York,  1888. 
Goode  Vrow  of  Manahatta,  Mrs.  John  King  Van  Rensselaer,  New  York,  1898. 
Discovery  of  the  Great  Northwest,  James  Baldwin,  New  York,  1901. 
History  of  the  Antiquities  of  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  George  R.  Fairbanks,  New 

York,  1858. 
Description  of  Louisiana  in  1683,  Father  Hennepin,  New  York,  1888. 
Men,  Women  and  Manners  in  Colonial  Times,  Sidney  G.  Fisher,  Philadelphia,  1898. 

405 


4o6  AUTHORITIES  CONSULTED 

Annals  of  Philadelphia,  John  Watson,  Philadelphia,  1829. 

Annals  of  New  York,  John  Watson,  Philadelphia,  1846. 

Letters  to  Franklin  by  his  Family  and  Friends,  1 751-1790,  New  York,  1859. 

Child  Life  in  Colonial  Days,  Mrs.  Alice  Morse  Earle,  New  York,  1899. 

Costume  of  Colonial  Times,  Mrs.  AUce  Morse  Earle,  New  York,  1894. 

Life  of  Margaret  Winthrop,  Mrs.  AUce  Morse  Earle,  New  York,  1895. 

Dolly  Madison,  Mrs.  Goodwin,  New  York,  1896. 

The  Writings  of  George  Washington,  edited  by  Wm.  Chauncey  Ford,  New  York, 

1889. 
Martha  Washington,  Anne  Hollingsworth  Wharton,  New  York,  1896. 
The  Quaker,  a  Study  in  Costume,  Mrs.  Francis  Gummere,  Philadelphia,  1902. 
Colonial  Days  and  Dames,  Anne  Hollingsworth  Wharton,  Philadelphia,  1898. 
Journal  and  Correspondence  of  Abigail  Adams,  New  York,  1841. 
Diary  of  Sally  Wister,  Philadelphia,  1902. 
UEvantail,  Octave  Uzanne,  Paris,  1882. 

UOmbrelle;  le  gant;  et  le  Mouclwir,  Octave  Uzanne,  Paris,  1883. 
Son  Altesse,  la  Femme,  Octave  Uzanne,  Paris,  1885. 
Autobiography  and  Correspondence  of  Mrs.  Delaney,  Boston,  1880. 
Diary  of  Madame  D'Arblay,  London,  1842. 
History  of  the  United  States,  Thomas  Higginson,  Boston,  1875. 
The  Republican  Court,  Rufus  W.  Griswold,  New  York,  1855. 
Pioneers  of  France  in  the  New  World,  Francis  Parkman,  Boston,  1865. 
Discovery  of  the  Great  West,  Francis  Parkman,  Boston,  1869. 
The  Spectator,  London,  1712. 

Pepys'  Diary,  edited  by  H.  B.  Wheatley,  London,  1896. 
Evelyn's  Diary,  edited  by  H.  B.  Wheatley,  London,  1879. 
Table  Talk  of  Samuel  Rogers,  New  York,  1856. 
Nollekins  and  His  Times,  John  T.  Smith,  London,  1895. 
Trachten  der  Volker,  A.  Kretchmer,  Leipzig,  1864. 
Cyclopedia  of  Costume,  J.  R.  Planche,  London,  1876. 
Pictorial  History  of  England,  Charles  Knight,  London,  1841. 
History  of  English  Dress,  Mrs.  Hill,  London,  1893. 
Annals  of  Fashion  by  a  Lady  of  Rank,  London,  1847. 
Yester-year,  Ten  Centuries  of  Toilette,  A.  Robida,  London,  1892. 
History  of  Fashion  in  France,  Augustin  Challamel,  London,  1882. 
Institutions,  Usages  et  Costumes  du  lyieme  siecle,  Paul  Lacroix,  Paris,  1880. 
Institutions,  Usages  et  Costumes  du  iSieme  siecle,  Paul  Lacroix,  Paris,  1878. 
Costume  in  England,  F.  W.  Fairholt,  London,  1846. 

England  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,  WiUiam  Connor  Sydney,  New  York,  1891. 
Notes  on  Civil  Costume  in  England,  Hon.  Lewis  Wingfield,  London,  1889. 
Le  Costume  Historique,  A.  Racinet,  Paris,  1891. 
Memoirs  of  Lady  Sarah  Lennox,  London,  1902. 
Civil  Costume  in  England,  Charles  Martin,  London,  1842, 


AUTHORITIES  CONSULTED  407 

Men,  Maidens  and  Manners  a  Hundred  Years  Ago,  John  Ash  ton,  London,  1888. 

Brides  and  Bridals,  John  Cordy  Jeffreson,  London,  1872. 

Mundus  Muliebris  and  The  Fop's  Dictionary,  Mary  Evelyn,  edited  by  her  father, 

London,  1690. 
Percy  Society  Publications,  London,  1849. 

Their  Majesties'  Servants,  or  Annals  of  the  English  Stage,  Dr.  Doran,  London,  1865. 
Glossary  of  Words,  Phrases,  Names  and  Allusions,  Robert  Nares,  London,  1828. 
Chronicles  of  Fashion,  Mrs.  Stone,  London,  1848. 
Gainsborough,  Sir  Walter  Armstrong,  London,  1898. 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  Sir  Walter  Armstrong,  London,  1900. 
Hogarth,  John  and  Joshua  Boydell,  London,  1798. 
Romney,  Sir  Herbert  Maxwell,  London,  1902. 
The  Every  Day  Book,  William  Hone,  London,  1826. 
The  King's  Peace,  a  historical  sketch  of  the  English  Law  Courts,  F.  A.  Inderwick, 

Q.  C,  London,  1895. 
A  Book  about  Lawyers,  John  Cordy  Jeffreson,  Barrister  at  Law,  London,  1867. 
Bench  and  Bar  of  Philadelphia,  John  Hill  Martin,  Philadelphia,  1883. 
Sketches  of  the  Judicial  History  of   Massachusetts,  1630-1775,  Emory  Washburn, 

Boston,  1840. 
A  History  of  the  American  Church,  Rt.  Rev.  Leighton  Coleman,  D.D.,  Bishop 

of  Delaware,  New  York,  1903. 
History  of  the  American  Episcopal  Church,   Rt.   Rev.   William  Stevens  Perry, 

D.D.,  Bishop  of  Iowa. 
A  Book  about  the  Clergy,  John  Cordy  JeflFreson,  London,  1870. 
A  Book  about  Doctors,  John  Cordy  Jeffreson,  New  York,  1861. 
Diary  of  Samuel  Sewall,  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  Boston,  1878. 
Literary  Diary  of  Ezra  Stiles,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  New  York,  1901. 
Diary  of  Manasseh  Cutler,  Cincinnati,  1888. 

History  of  the  British  Army,  Hon.  J.  W.  Fortescue,  London,  1902. 
History  of  Our  Navy,  John  R.  Spears,  New  York,  1897. 
Uniforms  of  the  United  States  Army,  1775-1900,  Pubhshed  by  the  United  States 

Government,  Washington,  1900. 


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